


Whiplash

by GiannaQueenofBelgium



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quicksilver - Fandom, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: 70's, 70's slang, Cute, Descriptive Violence, Equality, Evan Peters - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Mutants, PG-13, X-men - Freeform, X-men 70's, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and cute girls, groovey, he's also an idiot, highschool, highschool love story, mommies love their babies, mutant supremacy, peter has a thing for dogs, peter is a baby, peter maximoff - Freeform, peter x oc, pietro x oc, quicksilver - Freeform, republished, tw violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-02-26 11:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2650457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiannaQueenofBelgium/pseuds/GiannaQueenofBelgium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly Brown is a freshman, ginger, outcast and a mutant. After befriending Peter Maximoff's little sister she ends up falling in love with the silver haired speed demon along the way. Accidents, breaking into the pentagon, psychotic dads, Vietnam and jail all get in the way of their relationship but as we all know- true love persists. The real question is which side do you choose when you're forced to decided between mutant supremacy and equality when on one side you have your estranged father (who wishes dearly to reconnect) and on the other side your conscious and adoring girlfriend?<br/>Peter Maximoff may have bit off a little more than he can chew this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crying Princess

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on another website where I eventually deleted my account, so all of the chapters up until #10 were written several months ago. After that you may see an improvement in my writing style since that has been written more recently (hope this doesn't distract from the story and I'm trying my hardest to keep the tone the same). Comments are ALWAYS appreciated and I take any advice given very seriously and apply it to my work. Thanks for reading and enjoying the insanity that awaits you!  
> -Jan

**Chapter One: Crying Princess**

A pile of crochet quilts protected me from the outside world, acting as a heavy barrier between me and the people I was trying to avoid. In my nest of psychedelic colors and soft fabrics I felt safe, suffocating from lack of air yes, but safer than when I was out in the open. I was like a small child hiding from imaginary monsters but sadly, my monsters were real, and in the next room.  

 

A loud shatter made me jump and then curl into a tighter ball under my blankets, a chorus of abusive shouts came immediately afterwards and tears pricked my eyes. I began to rock back and forth rhythmically, whispering prayers that their fight would be over soon. Dad was hammered, Mom was high; it was a volatile combination. Another crash came from the master bedroom in my rickety motorhome, the pungent smell of alcohol and cigarettes overpowered all other scents in the trailer. I clasped my hands together, continuing my repetitive prayer and hoped I would pass out from exhaustion soon. _Please God just make it end._

                                                                     

Morning seemed to come far too soon, but I was happy for an excuse to get out and leave my calamitous house for the day. I was awoken by the ringing of my alarm clock; I quickly smashed my hand down on it to silence its clattering ring in the hopes my parents wouldn’t awake from their drug induced slumber. I slid out from the comfort of my burrow, my hair a rat’s nest and my clothes wrinkled and sweaty from the night’s terrors. I slipped out of my messy nightgown and quietly opened my accordion closet, grabbed new underwear and a knee length brown dress to wear for school that day. My Beatles poster at the back of my closet stared at me as I picked out a new outfit; the smiling faces made me feel a little better, at least someone was happy to see me.

 

“Good morning Ringo.” I whispered to my favorite member and shut the doors slowly, plunging my only friends in darkness for the day. I threw the new clothes on as quickly as I could and put on my plain tennis shoes, glanced in my little mirror sadly then grabbed my school bag. I picked out breakfast from what was left in the cupboard and ate my little Debbie snack on the go. It was only six thirty in the morning and I had until 8 for school to start, but I knew if I spent one more minute in that trailer I would have an emotional breakdown.

 

I walked sluggishly to the park across from my school, there was no need to hurry, so I went slowly and took my time looking at my familiar surroundings and eating my crummy breakfast. I climbed to the top of the slide, my book bag over my shoulder, and looked out at the traffic chugging along as people made their commute to work. The park was in-between the two schools, the High School where I went and the Middle/Elementary school for younger kids. There were two twisting, tall metal slides in the park, six swings and a merry go round for whomever wanted to use the equipment. I was up in the lookout of the tallest slide, hidden away from the world I hardly entered but often watched. As an outcast perception was a key quality to surviving high school, without it I was dead meat. Even with me avoiding social interaction and all those who enjoyed tormenting me for sick entertainment I was still mocked for being the daughter of the neighborhood drunks. Taunts in the halls were far from an odd occurrence, biting comments were the norm for me when I was 14.

 

I sat at the top of the slide and reviewed for my grammar test that afternoon, memorizing proper spelling and use of punctuation as the teachers pulled into their parking spots and prepared for the days’ work. Birds sang in the tree next to the slide, it felt like they were singing songs for my ears only as a harmonious gesture of good will. A small smile was spread on my lips, finally I was calm, but that would come to an end soon.

 

“Hey frog face!” Someone yelled and I flinched, my attention immediately being drawn down to the pavement below. Two girls, a grade ahead of me in 10th, stood on the walk laughing with each other and pointing at me. I pulled my legs to my chest and went back to my reading, ignoring them best I could but it was useless, the remarks made their way to my ears making me shiver with disgust. Not towards them of course, I’d been conditioned to believe that they said was true- that I was an ugly girl with no talents. My mind told me that they were correct, I wasn’t beautiful, wonderfully gifted or talented but I’ve realized now that I was special. But regrettably, it took me a long time to find that out for myself.

 

The morning bell rang out loudly, just like my alarm clock, and I slid down the slide and rushed to make it to class in time. My feet pounded on the slippery floors of the school, my red hair flying behind me as I ran and my eyes straight ahead.

 

“MS. BROWN!” Someone shouted behind me and I came to a screeching halt, my heart definitely stopped beating. “No running in the halls, last warning.”

 

“Sorry Mister Ronald!” I called behind me with a grimace and slowed down without looking behind, knowing I’d be late for class. I could almost hear a clock ticking though there were none posted in the halls, telling me that I was losing precious seconds. When I entered Mrs. Grimwood’s class all eyes were on me, not a single gaze lifted as I took my seat.

 

“You’re late.” Mrs. Grimwood said sternly. _Clearly everyone is aware of that already._ I thought to myself as I peeked up at her through my cloak of brightly colored hair.

 

“Yeah.” She glared at me. “I’m sorry about that.” She picked up a pink pad of paper and wrote down a note.

 

“Bring this to your parents after school.” She said and I was forced to walk past all those beady eyes again to take the note from her. I didn’t even glance down at it, I already knew what it said, I’d had a thousand of these tardy notes throughout my schooling. I took my seat and slouched forward starting up another prayer that today would be better than yesterday, and the day before that and the day before that….

 

 

PE was one of the worst parts of the day. The shorts and shirts we had to wear were heavy and itchy, not to mention we had to run lap after lap around the school while being shouted at by an overweight teacher who hadn’t exercised since 1962. I huffed and puffed near the middle of the group of high school students, trying my best to keep a steady pace and ignore the random people who would elbow their way past me. A silver haired boy was far ahead of us all, and he didn’t even looked tired in the slightest, he kept a steady pace and had a bored expression on his face like we were all too slow for him. I frowned and leant forward, pushing myself to go faster, for some reason I felt obliged to go faster for him. It was strange, but most things were strange in my life.

 

I pushed harder, my calves and thighs burning with strain and my lungs begging for a five minute breathing break. But I didn’t rest, I kept going faster and faster until I was near the front of the group jogging along with some of the football jocks and a couple blonde girls on the soccer team. One girl smiled slightly at me, she had deep red hair that was almost brown and spirited blue eyes. She was in tenth grade, I was pretty sure her name was Wendy Maximoff- no wait, it was Wanda! I smiled lightly back at her, surprised she even looked at me much less showed a small amount of kindness. She’d never talked to me before or treated me badly, just sort of moved past me and took no notice.

 

“Hot enough for you?” She asked breathily and I chocked out a laugh, trying to keep up with her. She was athletic and absolutely gorgeous with long hair, slender limbs and a face like a china doll.

 

“Totally.” I sputtered out and breathed heavily. “This is hell.”

 

“You’re telling me!” She laughed again but didn’t look as troubled with running as I was. That was the whole of our conversation since PE ended soon afterwards. As I was walking to the girl’s changing room and downing a bottle of water I glanced behind myself, Wanda was talking with the silver haired boy- laughing and grinning. I wondered if they were a couple. I ducked into one of the shower stalls and stripped, tossing my clothes right next to the shower outside of the stall. I closed my eyes and rinsed off the smell of sweat and ran my fingers through my hair trying to detangle it. I had my face towards the wall, my head directly under the water so I couldn’t hear a single thing as two girls stole my towel and gym clothes.

 

I got out and squeezed my hair, still in the stall, as soon as I stepped out and noticed lack of clothes on the floor my stomach dropped. I ducked back into the shower and tried to think of what to do. I could wait here until everyone left… or just make a run for my locker and throw my dress on as quickly as possible. With a depressed sigh I covered my chest with my arms and rushed out of the stall, past some girls and to the neighboring area where all the lockers were. I tugged my locker open; thank goodness they hadn’t taken my dress. I was pulling on my underwear fast as I could when a tenth grader walked past me and leant in as she passed.

 

“Flat.” She whispered and I looked away shamefully. Soon another passed me hissing another critic of my looks.

 

“Whale.” She said, getting close to me making me uncomfortable. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my back to them, pulling my dress over my head.

 

“Hippo.”

 

“Pig.”

 

“Geek.” They taunted as I turned my face away and buttoned up my dress, tears threatening to fall at any moment. I put on my shoes, grabbed my bag and ran out. I was flying out of the locker room when I _literally_ ran straight into the Wendy- I mean Wanda girl.

 

“Oh my word I’m so sorry.” I choked out and helped her off the ground; she smiled at me and was going to wave it off until she saw my tears.

 

“Hey are you alright?” She asked with concern and I quickly nodded my head.

 

“Yeah, I was- I was just thinking of Vietnam.” I said and she slowly nodded her head in disbelief either that my lie was so awful or that I would cry over the current war. “It’s just, like they should peace out and make love not war.” I repeated something I had heard a twelfth grade hippie saying a couple days earlier at lunch. Wanda continued nodding and patted my shoulder awkwardly.

 

“Heck yah!” The hippie girl I was repeating shouted towards me as she exited the locker room, giving me the peace sign and a huge grin as she went her own way. My tears stopped and I was just in shock of the weird situation.

 

“I’m sure the war will end soon.”

 

“Yeah probably anyways bye.” I said quickly and darted away before Wanda could console me on a war I knew barely anything about, only that my classmates would get very vocal about it and enjoyed using it as an excuse to swear like sailors.

 

At 3 I sat out in front the school and organized my homework and notes, wasting time so I could avoid going home. Across the street the remainder of the kids in the elementary and middle school were rushing home, tired of sitting still all day and plying games of tag and football as they rushed about. But most of them were gone, just waiting to get picked up by mom or dad instead of walking. I started on my math homework, my back against the empty brick school and my bare feet dug into the lush grass. It was three thirty when I noticed a little girl standing on the curb of the sidewalk across the street, dressed in a bright pink princess dress with little gold sequins on the collar. She stood stiffly, holding tight to her lunch box and looking down the street. I shrugged it off and worked on my exponents. Fifteen minutes later I heard muffled sniffles from across the quite street, I looked up over my papers, the little princess was now sitting on the sidewalk cross-legged still starring down the street sobbing. My heart started beating faster, wasn’t anyone coming to pick her up? I leant forward from my solitude spot to look down the street. Not a single car. I looked at the girl who hadn’t even noticed me in the shade of the high school, her hair was red and messy, cheeks tear stained and her cheap princess dress wrinkled. My heart wrenched for her, even though I was but a child myself deeply rooted maternal instincts kicked in and I rushed over to the other side of the street. I stood a couple yards from her at first, so as not to scare her.

 

“Are you alright?” I asked and her head whipped up to look at me, she went red in the face and ran her palms over her cheeks to get rid of the tears. She hiccupped and attempted to stop crying, I walked towards her slowly.

 

“Is anyone coming to pick you up?” She nodded her head.

 

“M-mom” She stuttered “Said she would be here, be-because this is-is my last day getting rides home.” She coughed “Tomorrow I-I have to w-walk h-home on my own!” She broke down crying again and leant forward on her legs, her little chest heaving as she cried her heart out.

 

“Princess, do I need to call anyone for you?” She didn’t respond, just cried. Her mother must have forgotten the deal to drive her home one last time and was out running errands. I closed the gap between us and knelt on the pavement, patting her back soothingly as she wept. Suddenly she sat up and engulfed me in a hug, I tensed up at first, not used to being touched and my hands hovered over her back. The little princess clung to my dress, sobbing on my shoulder as I slowly pulled her to my chest and gave her a bear hug.

 

“It’s gonna be ok.” I whispered to her and rubber her back “Do you need me to walk you home?” She lifted away from me, her hair plastered to her wet cheeks and looked amazed.

 

“Really?” She asked and I smiled a true, real smile at her.

 

“Of course! Princesses need an entourage right?” She beamed at me like a little ray of sunshine packed up into a cute little girl and stood up, wiped her tears away and picked up her lunchbox. She bounced in front of me as I lifted my backpack off the ground where I set it when she hugged me, put it on my back and held my hand out towards her.

 

“Which direction do we go?” I asked as she took my hand in hers and pointed down the street in the opposite direction of my house. _Awesome_ I thought to myself happy for the delay of going home.


	2. Candles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Passing mention of sexual abuse, no detail. Drug use.  
> Comments are always fantastic, thanks for reading and I'll leave you to it! :D

**Chapter Two: Candles**

The little Princess bounced along the sidewalk while holding my hand, feeling much better after having a good cry. I smiled the entire time, finally there was someone who was happy to be with me. Something I didn’t even get from my own parents.

 

“So do you have a name?” She asked curiously.

 

“Well of course, everyone has a name.” I said softly back to her as she looked up at me with big blue eyes.

 

“So what’s yours? Mine is Mary!”

 

“That’s a nice name, my name is Molly.” She looked up at me and gasped. “What is it?” I asked playfully.

 

“ _Our names. Both start with an M.”_ She said intensely and I nodded my head, absolutely loving her fascination with little things I’d overlook.

 

“That is so cool.”

 

“I know!” Mary proceeded to tell me all about the puppy she wanted to get but her mom said they couldn’t afford, how her sister was getting ready for the school’s all ages dance and how much her brother complained about the all ages dance. Then she talked all about if animals had names and I told her that they did for if they didn’t how would mommies talk to their babies? She agreed that I must be right and then went on to pick out the names the birds flying about must have.

 

“What do you think that one is named Molly?” She asked and jutted her finger towards a large raven sitting in a birch tree that looked grumpy as all get out. I squished my mouth over as far to the right as I could, making silly thinking expressions that made Mary laugh.

 

“Probably Angry Joe.” She laughed even harder.

 

“That’s what I though too.” She sang and waved at Angry Joe who cawed back and flapped away. “Boy what a grouch.” Mary murmured under her breath with a sigh. We kept walking at a steady pace when suddenly Mary stopped in front of a very nice one story house with a stone exterior and clean lawn.

 

“This is my house.” She said happily and led me up the front walk to the door and lifted up the “Welcome” mat with a strange path worn straight down the middle. I frowned at the curious mat and she lifted a house key from underneath and unlocked the house.

 

“Do you want a juice?” She asked with a smile as she replaced the key under the mat and opened up the front door. I smiled at her but shook my head, as much as I would rather spend my day with a talkative second grader I had homework to do and a home of my own and I also didn’t know how happy her mother would be if a stranger was to have lunch with her little daughter.

 

“Not today Mary, but thank you for offering.” I said and stayed out on the front porch. “Is someone going to be home soon to watch you?”

 

“Probably my sister, she usually gets home first, then mom and then my brother.”

 

“Ok good, are you gonna do alright by yourself?” she said yes.

 

“Thank you.” She said quietly.

 

“For what little princess?”

 

“Saving me.” She blushed shyly and leant forward, kissed my cheek and waved goodbye. “Bye Molly!” she called as I waved goodbye in return and walked down the driveway. A little happy ball of content joy was circulating my veins and for a moment I wondered if mom had to smoke pot to get the feeling of happiness now. But I pushed those thoughts away and enjoyed the walk from Mary’s house to mine. It was five blocks from the schools to her house and four blocks from the school to mine, so it was a nice long walk back home. I greeted Angry Joe with a little wave and then lowered my hand, remembering I was no longer with a chipper child and waving at animals was probably weird now and kept my head down.

 

I didn’t stop on my way back home, even though I desperately wanted to delay the violent atmosphere. Instead I gathered up as much courage and strength that I could and marched my way home. I thought somewhat of the men out in Vietnam, even though I didn’t think much of the war- it made me sad to hear about everyone dyeing just because people couldn’t get along, I did think about what it must be like. To leave everything you know behind for a scary country where everyone wants to kill you, where people literally hate your guts. I decided have parents who didn’t like you, and sometimes hit you because of that was a lot better than having to leave everything behind and go somewhere were people try to kill you. Dad never tried to kill me, and he never tried to mom either, it was always an accident when she got hurt. That is what she told me. I didn’t always believe her, but it was easier to believe a lie than to accept reality.

 

Dad was at work once I got home and mom was sitting at the kitchenette rolling cigarettes. I opened the front door and propped the outside door open with a rock, leaving the screen door shut so bugs couldn’t get in but the cigarette smoke and smell of whisky could leave.

 

“Hey baby.” Mom greeted me euphorically, her eyes bloodshot and a cut on her forehead dabbed with blood.

 

“Hey Mama, your head feel alright?” I asked worriedly with a soft voice you’d use with a little kid and set my backpack on the table and looked closer at the cut.

 

“I feel great baby.” She slurred and I frowned, she was toked. I cupped her cheek in my hand, she closed her eyes blissfully and started humming Fleetwood mac songs.

 

“C-can you take out the record player baby?” she asked me with her eyes closed, a lit cigarette held between her fingers. I nodded and went to my room and retrieved the record player and a couple of her favorite records from in the box under my bed. Precious items were stored away in places they couldn’t get wrecked, mostly in my bedroom or in the little locked up shed at the edge of out lot in the trailer park. I lifted the box out and picked out The White album, Mom’s personal favorite, and went back to the main section. I set up the player on the counter and put the record on. Mom sat still in her chair, her head swaying back and forth to the music. I stared at her dejectedly, she used to be so beautiful before she started using. To me she was still beautiful. But it wasn’t the same, it never would be.

 

“I’m gonna take a shower now mama.” I whispered and kissed the part of her forehead with a cut. I went into the small, cramped bathroom and stripped- stepping into the Luke warm shower with a shiver. Our water was rarely hot, always cold or room temperature. I washed my hair thinking about Mary and what it was like to live in a real house where there was always hot water, where the worst things your parents do is to forget to pick you up from school, what it was like to have a yard with green grass and nicely trimmed hedges and not just a plot of dirt in-between other people who drank and swore all day. I shaved my legs and armpits with the water turned off, rising the razor off in the sink when I was done. I wrapped a towel around my naked body and sat on the closed toilet.

 

It was so stupid to be jealous of a little girl. But I couldn’t help it. I left the bathroom after my idiot moment of self-pity and went to my room, getting dressed again and staying in my room. I didn’t want to watch my mom get even higher, to listen to her play the same record over and over while watching the world swirl around herself. I couldn’t handle it. So I stayed locked in my little room doing homework and crocheting myself yet another safety blanket. I didn’t bother telling Mom about the note from my teacher for being tardy, she wouldn’t mind, so I crumpled it up and threw it away with a dozen other things I was supposed to show my parents.

 

Dad came home and drank himself into a stupor, but didn’t fight with mom which I was thankfully about. Since they were both out of their heads I made supper which was slightly burnt hamburgers and boiled potatoes. Mom and Dad sat out on the rickety porch holding hands like they hadn’t almost killed each other the night before and watched the sun set. I sat in a lawn chair in the dirt lot next to the porch, eating my burnt hamburger and thinking about life and about Vietnam more. Once the sun set Mom grew uneasy, since she was little she was afraid of the dark. I never really got a straight answer, but from what I could tell when she was little her uncle used to sit with her in a locked closet and play games with her. I couldn’t understand why that would be so upsetting, but maybe she just didn’t like her uncle much. So as it grew dimmer Dad sent me into my room again to get the candles.

 

I set them up on the thick railing of the porch and on the dirt ground near my lawn chair, I had no need for matches, my fingers worked just fine. Once they were all set up I extended my pointer finger towards the wick and thought about hot summer days, sunburns and burning bonfires. Like the flickering light inside of a lighting bug the tip of my finger started to glow. At first it was faint, then I concentrated harder and my finger grew hotter and hotter- until there was a flickering flame on my fingertip. I smiled and went around carefully lighting all of the candles with my finger and then thought of windy days, swirling cyclones and rainy days. The fire died down and my hand felt cold again, no longer the comforting heat that I felt when I turned on my fire.

 

When I was nine I was sitting outside in the dirt, playing with choppy haired Barbies, roasting in the sun when I suddenly caught fire. I don’t know why it started, or why I had this abnormality, but I did and that was that. My parents knew, they told me not to tell people since it might scare them. So I used it rarely and spoke of it never. It didn’t seem strange to me, it was just another characteristic I had. Simple as that. Like everyone at school said, I was a freak, they just didn’t know how much of one I was.

 

We sat outside until eleven, then my parents lumbered back into the trailer and passed out on their bed. I sat out a while longer though, starring at the stars that were barely visible because of the city lights and just was thankful for a somewhat pleasant day. Then I leant my chair against the porch and thought of wind and water while starring at the candles, one by one they all went out on their own. Another aspect of my gifts was that water nor wind could put out my fire, only I could. I picked up the candles and brought them back to my room, setting them on the empty shelf of my bookshelf and crawled into bed. I prayed again that night, not for protection for myself like usual, but for Mary- that she was happy and had everything she needed.

 

I fell asleep wondering about the strange silver haired boy.

 

* * *

The morning was normal, breakfast on the go and passed out parents snoring in bed. I took my books and homework to the park, it was my routine, and finished up yesterday’s work on the swings with my bag just near my feet. I also made sure to get to class early, even though that meant there was a period of time where the halls would be filled with people and insults. I played with my bohemian floral skirt as I waited for the teacher to begin the class, little bits of paper flew at me from the ends of plastic straws but I ignored them. It bothered me yes, but if I reacted they would just do it more, they liked getting me to cry or yell. It was just a big messed up game for the bullies and I was refusing to play.

 

During PE I looked for the silver haired boy again, but he was nowhere to be found. I felt disappointed for some idiotic reason, it made no sense to me why all of a sudden everything seemed a little gloomier and the teasing was a little harder to bear. I guess I had been looking forward to seeing him again. When we started running laps around the school I was expecting him to suddenly appear at the front of the group, looking bored with life again, but no silver boy came that day. But I did see Wanda again.

 

I ran next to her and only got a forced smile in return, unlike a greeting I had received the day prior. Her eyes were far away and she ran slower than yesterday, I even passed by her for a while, but she was still fast for not being totally there. I wondered to myself in between mentally cursing the PE coach for yelling at us to go faster if she knew where the boy was, maybe she was missing him wherever he was.

 

The high school students got out fifteen minutes before the elementary kids, so as the group of teenagers slowly dissipated and they went their separate ways either to pool parties or after school jobs I stood waiting in front of the school for the little princess named Mary. She came out running and screaming like the other kids but didn’t have on her princess dress that day, instead she wore a blue shirt and jeans. I crossed the street and stood on the sidewalk, Mary didn’t even notice me at first until one little boy pointed out “the weird creepy girl” waiting on the side walk.

 

“That’s my friend!” Mary shouted at the kid in a tone in-between happiness to see me and angry towards him for calling me names. I grinned at her and waved as she came bounding over and hugged my legs.

 

“Hi Molly! I didn’t think you’d be here today!”

 

“Well what would a princess be without her entourage?” I asked with a smile and ruffled her hair. She grinned at me, absolutely loving the nickname I gave her and took my hand joyfully.

 

“I was going to tell Mom about you yesterday when she got home, but she was busy, then this morning i was going to tell her since I drew you this. But she didn’t have time.” She said and took her little pink backpack off of her back and set it down on the grass in front of the elementary school and pulled out a folded, wrinkled piece of notebook paper with one of the edges torn off raggedly. She very delicately unfolded it to reveal a crayon picture of a little red haired princess and a taller red haired girl in a brown ball gown. Tears pricked my eyes as she handed it to me and I carefully looked it over.

 

“Are you sad because I accidently ripped the corner off?” she asked noticing my watery eyes, I laughed and wiped at them.

 

“No no I’m not sad at all.”

 

“Then why do you look sad.”

 

“I feel very happy Mary, it’s just no one has every drawn me a picture before.” I said quietly and looked up at her, this little girl who I just met, who cared for me more than anyone else I’d know. I smiled and held my arms out for a hug.

 

“Thank you so much.” I told her as she gave me a quick bear hug and she giggled happily. “I absolutely love it!” She looked very, very pleased with herself when I told her that.

 

“Are you gonna walk home with me again today?”

 

“Do you want me too?” I asked and got off the ground, carefully folded the picture and placed it inside of my science book so it wouldn’t get smashed up any more.

 

“Yes! I’d really like that because I was thinking we could name the squirrels we see today on the walk back home!”

 

“Ooh now that is the best idea I’ve heard all day!” I chirped and we headed down the sidewalk hand in hand.

 


	3. Flowe Crowns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Passing mention of physical abuse, no great detail.   
> So what do you guys think of Molly? :D I know Peter Maximoff has a little sister but since writing more than 3 young mutants at a time (and well I know nothing about her either) I decided to simply create a new one! Hope that's alright n-n

**Chapter Three: Flower Crowns**

“So do you have any brothers or sisters?” Mary asked as she picked up a stone off the ground, rolling it in her hands and inspecting the grains. I shook my head no and waited for her to continue walking.

 

“Nope just me.”

 

“Lucky. I have an older brother and sister, they’re twins and they’re crazy.” I laughed out loud. “But they are!”

 

“Oh no I believe you! I’m just not used to having siblings so I don’t know what it’s like that’s all.” She kept her eyes on her rock and then started walking again. “My sister is ok, but my brother Peter drives me absolutely NUTS!” She shouted loudly, scarring Angry Joe out of his tree. I grinned and held my hands behind my back.

 

“And why is that?”

 

“Well, he messes my room up just to upset me. And he steals road signs.”

 

“He steals road signs?!”

 

“Yeah I know! My sister calls him a clacktomantiac or something.”

 

“Kleptomaniac?”

 

“Yeah that’s it. But he is ok I guess, sometimes. He watched Alfrado Hitchcock’s The Birds once with me when Mom was working late. I couldn’t sleep so he let me stay in his room in the basement.” I tried not to laugh at her cute mispronunciation of Alfred and kept walking.

 

“You watched the birds? Weren’t you afraid?”

 

“Nah! Well, a little” She shrugged her small shoulders “I didn’t sleep well, but otherwise I love scary movies! And peter always watches them with me, that’s what makes him fun.”

 

“And what about your sister?”

 

“She was ok for a while, she would play dolls with me and make pictures but she likes _boys_ now, so you know that she’s gone bad of course.” I nodded in pretend agreement. “All she likes to talk about is _cute guys and gross stuff._ Cute doesn’t describe boys, it describes kittens and puppies and stuff. I think she’s gonna get cooties you know?”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“She kissed a boy.” Mary said and looked up at me with buggy eyes and her tongue sticking out of her mouth like kissing a boy was the nastiest thing anyone could ever do.

 

“Eww!” I squeaked making her laugh.

 

“What bout’ you Molly? Do you _kiss_ boys?”

 

“Nah.”

 

“Really never?”

 

“Never ever!” I shook my head, my hair slapping me in the face and I chuckled- it was fun to be a goofball. “You?” I asked and leant down, narrowing my eyes. She bent her neck down all the way to her shoulders and shuttered.

 

“NEVER!” She yelled and I laughed so hard my sides hurt.

 

 

“Mom is going to be late home today.” She said sadly as we neared her house.

 

“Why?”

 

“Peter. He got in trouble today, the whole clackomantiac thing caught up with him.” She said sadly and I looked down at the little kid, she was so different, I liked her. “And mom has to talk to the cops bout it. And my sister is working tonight. Do you think- maybe you want to have a juice today?” Mary didn’t look at me, probably afraid that I’d say no and she’s had to spend the day by herself.

 

“Sure.” Mary looked up at me, her little pink lips going wide into a smile.

 

“YEAYEAYEAYEAYEA!” She screeched and bounced on me, hugging my legs tightly.

 

Mary grabbed the key from under the mat and unlocked the house, dragging me behind her into the slightly messy house that smelled different to me. It was a very nice house,  not a mansion but roomy and comfortable. Mary’s mom had the house nicely finished and decorated with the trendiest wallpaper and wall mounts. I glanced at my reflection in a sun shaped mirror in the front entrance. I had dark circles under my eyes, my hair was frizzy and I was getting a zit near my hair line. I brushed my hair over my zit and followed Mary to the kitchen. That morning’s breakfast dishes were in the sink, crayons scattered over notepaper on the kitchen island and Mary’s princess dress was laying on the floor. The house was messy- but sort of a comfortable messy, a sort of place where you could feel at home. Or at least that’s what I thought.

 

Mary went to the refrigerator and pulled a pitcher of Kool-Aid and then climbed on top of the counter to get down two green tinted glasses. I poured the Kool-Aid for us and then she showed me to the backyard where she had a kid’s plastic picnic table set up and some toys scattered around. I sat on the grass next to the little picnic table and sipped on the cold drink. Dandelions were growing all over the yard, making it feel like we were in a yellow sea.

 

“Do you know how to braid flowers Mary?” I asked and she mumbled out a garbles ‘no’ as she drank her juice.

 

“You wanna learn?”

 

“Mhhhmmm.”

 

“Alright-y this is what you do.” I began and picked some tall dandelions from the grass, showing her how to gather three together and braid the stems together and how to add in another flower once one of the stems ran short. Mary ran around the yard picking flowers and practicing braiding, it took her a while to understand the order in which to cross the stems over but she got it soon enough and was making flower chains with me. I laid on my stomach in the bright grass and braided us matching flower crowns.

 

“For the most beautiful princess in all the land.” I said and gently placed the crown on top of her red head.

 

“For the Duchess.” She said and I handed her my crown and she ever so carefully put it in my hair, then brushed my medium length hair over my shoulders and grinned at me.

 

“Are we hippies now?”

 

“Sure, I guess we can be hippies if you want us to be.” She put her lips in a little pout and gave me the peace sign and pranced around the yard saying “hey my brother, peace out, chill ya’ groovy” to herself and other imaginary hippies. I giggled to myself and watched her, so carefree and happy.

 

Mary sat back down on her picnic bench and held her head in her hands and stared down on me, I laid on my back in the grass and looked up at the sky.

 

“Is your mom worried that you’re not home?” She asked, I said no. “Do you have a dad?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I don’t. Well, mom says he isn’t here anymore, she also says I have a different dad than Peter and Wanda.” The name Wanda didn’t even register in my mind, I just frowned and gazed at her, she looked so dejected.

 

“Well having a Dad isn’t all that its cut out to be.”

 

“Don’t dads like, tuck you in at night and read you bedtime stories?”

 

“Mine never has.” She looked confused.

 

“Some kids at school say that its wrong I only have a mom.”

 

“Well it’s not your fault you just have a mom.”

 

“They make me feel like it is.” She said sadly.

 

“You know what they are?” Her eyes darted over to mine, away from the ground, “Poop heads. They’re all a bunch of poop heads. Anyone who makes you feel bad- they’re poop heads too.” I told her, it felt like I was talking to a younger version of myself. A more innocent, cheery version of myself.

 

“Do you like your dad?” She asked curiously and I sighed, laying backing down in the grass and looking at the puffy clouds over head. I thought about my bruises, mom’s broken ribs, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes.

 

“I guess so.” I lied.

 

“What about your mom?”

 

“Yeah.” I said truthfully.

 

“I like my Mommy too, she is nice and its funny when she gets mad at Peter.” We both laughed.


	4. Curious Drawings

**Chapter Four: Curious Drawings**

**Maximoff Household Point of View**

Molly had left an hour ago, walking off to her own house Mary imagined to looked like a princess’s castle with four tall spires that climbed into the clouds and a flower garden where Mary must sit and braid stems together hour after hour. She was awful good at it, it must be her favorite thing to do, that was the only explanation to Molly of why she could do it so effortlessly. She sat on the floor of the living room, the TV playing the PBS station as Molly drew pictures of herself and her newfound friend. Most of the other kids at school didn’t like her and the ones that did weren’t allowed to play with her because their parents thought she might be a bad influence because of her family.

 

Wanda Maximoff seemed like the most normal of the bunch, she got good grades, was polite and worked as a waitress at the dinner downtown. But something was _off_ about the girl and no one could quite but their thumb on it. Unknown to them, she like her brother, was a mutant; with the ability to alter probability and reality.

 

Peter Maximoff was the well-known trouble maker. Mary hadn’t been joking when she said he was a “kleptomaniac” even though she didn’t quite use that word, she wasn’t good with large words. Peter had a collection of street signs in his roomy basement ‘man cave’ and plenty of other goodies he had collected using his mutation power of super speed. He didn’t play well with others and had gotten in more than a dozen fights in school, all of which he won without a hitch. But after some students witnessed his powers in the eighth grade and freaked out his mother forbid him to use them in public, he tried not to , but the world moved so slowly he couldn’t help it some days. Peter had once again gotten in trouble with the law and Ms. Maximoff had sat in the police department for two hours with her son, who kept whispering he could get them out of there in a flash and no one’d ever know. She kept repeating that people have to be held accountable for their actions, so they would not be leaving the police station until this was settled. For the love of his mother he stayed seated and didn’t simply zip away.

 

“Hey Mary.” Wanda greeted her baby sister as she came through the front door and hung up her purse on the coat hook.

 

“Hi!” Mary shouted back “How was work?”

 

“Fine.” Wanda grumbled and went into the kitchen for some Kool-Aid and then went to her room to read until their mother started supper. Not long after she got home Peter and Ms. Maximoff burst in through the door, Peter zipped into the basement to get away but his mother stood at the top of the steps with her hands on her hips and he knew he was not getting out of this one easily. Soon they were shouting with one another and Mary sighed, coloring in the bright red hair that looked like the color of roses in another picture of her friend.

 

Ms. Maximoff stormed off, tired of arguing, and started to clean the kitchen and make supper as Peter played Pong in the basement. After a while he got bored and flashed upstairs to watch Star Trek. He flipped the channel over to Star Trek and stretched out on the couch next to Mary. He glanced down at her and the several pictures of her and what looked like Wanda on the floor.

 

“Why do you keep drawing you and Wanda?” He asked and frowned, snatching one up and looking at it, she was getting better at proportions he noted.

 

“It’s not Wanda!” She said with exasperation and he frowned, even though she had proportions right it still looked like stick people in ruffled dresses to him.

 

“Then who is it?” He set the picture back down on the green carpet.

 

“It’s me and Molly.”

 

“Who is Molly?” He propped himself up on the couch, confusion clearly spread across his face.

 

“My new friend.”

 

“You made a friend?” He asked in disbelief upsetting his little sister.

 

“Yes I made a friend! Is it that hard to believe you clackomantiac?!” She shouted and her mom shouted at her from the kitchen not to call Peter that.

 

“But that is what he is!” She shouted back, balling her hands into little fists and putting them on her hips, imitating Ms. Maximoff when she was mad.

 

“I don’t care don’t talk to him like that!” Her mother stomped into the dining room in the same pose, took in the posture of her daughter and lowered her hands off her hips and tried not to laugh. It’d been a long day and she was at the end of her line, but even when she was fighting with her daughter she still could make her laugh. “Now who are you drawing?” Mary handed her a picture.

 

“It’s me and my new friend Molly.” Mary grinned proudly, then stuck her tongue out quickly at Peter who sneered and did the same.

 

“Is she in your class?” Mary shook her head ‘no’ and Ms. Maximoff frowned. “What grade is she in?”

 

“I dunno, she doesn’t go to my school.” Her mother looked down at her, her eyes wide with fright- who had her daughter made friends with?! “She goes to Peter’s school. She walked me home yesterday when you forgot. And again today. We had Kool-Aid in the backyard and she taught me to braid flowers.”

 

“Wait, how old is she?!”

 

“I think she is younger than Peter. She had red hair like me, and she is really pretty and she talks to me about stuff. She doesn’t have siblings.”

 

“And she walked you home?!” Mary nodded, confused by the angry and scared tone in her mother’s voice. “What did I tell you about talking to strangers?!” Ms. Maximoff shouted and Peter stood up and got off the couch, worrying his mom might explode from stress. Tears flooded to Mary’s eyes, she thought that her mom would have been happy for her to finally have a friend who was alright with her brother being insane. Her lip quivered as Ms. Maximoff lost it about talking to strangers much less bringing the into the house and not having anyone around and how dangerous it was.

 

“I WOULDN’T HAVE EVER TALKED TO HER IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU!” Mary screamed suddenly, tears now streaming down her face- her sudden explosion startled her mother into being quiet. “YOU SAID YOU WOULD PICK ME UP FROM SCHOOL ONE LAST TIME BUT YOU DIDN’T. I waited mom! I waited an hour! Molly came over and checked on me b-because I was crying! Then she brought me home since I was scared to go by myself! Why is it dangerous?! She didn’t do anything wrong!” Mary screamed and then stormed out of the room. Ms. Maximoff stood in the living room, clutching her apron so tightly her knuckles were white.

 

“Peter go to your room.”

 

“Mo-“

 

“Go!” Peter left. She stood in the living room for a while, calming herself before she quietly went outside and sat down next to the plastic picnic table where her youngest child sat angrily.

 

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Mary said and turned away, her arms crossed over her chest. Her mother sighed and leant against the table, folding her hands in her lap.

 

“You don’t have to talk to me. I just want you to listen. I’m sorry about yelling, that wasn’t alright. But it scares me when I don’t know who you are around, especially when they are older. I know this is confusing for you, but there are people in the world who do bad things to little girls and boys and I never want that to happen to you. That’s why Mommy got so upset, it’s because I was afraid.” She said quietly and looked at her daughter’s little grumpy face that refused to meet her eyes. “I’m glad Mary you made a friend! I couldn’t be happier! But I want to meet her before you spend more time with her alright? I want to make sure my baby girl is safe.” Mary finally looked at her.

 

“She told me today that not having a dad isn’t bad. I like her a lot.” Mary climbed into her mother’s lap and Ms. Maximoff bit back tears and hugged Mary, thinking about what she had just said.

 

“Why don’t you bring Molly to supper tomorrow? Then we can meet her, how does that sound.”

 

“Ok.” Mary said and kissed her mom’s cheek and sat back on her picnic table, picked up a messy flower crown she made and put it on top of her mother’s brown hair.

 

“Can we eat now, I’m really hungry.” Mary said and her face dropped, she had comeptly ran out of energy.

 

“Yep. Come on baby let’s get supper on the table.” she picked her up and put her on her hip, Mary’s head resting on her shoulder as they walked back into the house.

 

Things were good. For now.


	5. The Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Childish bullying that may or may not make you hate a fictional character.

Chapter Five: The Park

Tacked to the marred, wooden panel wall above my narrow twin bed was the drawing Mary made of the two of us, next to it was a picture of me and my mother when I was a toddler. Her face was wrinkleless, her hair in a French braid that fell over her shoulder like a waterfall. I woke up at six and looked up at the pictures, smiling to myself, and crawled out of bed like an exhausted turtle. I slipped out of my blue nightshirt and into a short brown skirt that billowed out around my legs when I spun in a tight circle, tan tights, a button up peter pan collared shirt the color of coffee creamer and brown flats. I ran a brush through my hair, it was softly waved from the braid I kept it in as I slept and fell over my shoulders just like Mom’s did long ago. 

Breakfast was leftover potato salad I munched on while sitting on the porch, starring at the dirt as I slowly woke up. It was hot out today, it was at least 70 degrees when I woke up and the temperature just kept climbing right along up with the sun. I started to walk to school later than usual, at 7:30, and by the time I got to school it was at least 90. I never got heat exhaustion, at no time would I be uncomfortable in even the hottest conditions- a small perk to my bizarre powers. So I when I walked into our non-air conditioned school and saw that even the soches (70’s slang for socialite aka snooty rich kids) were suffering I felt a little smirk pull at my lips. They were all too tired from the heat to bother me.

Wanda gave me a passing smile in the hallway, she looked pretty miserable just like everyone else, but it was nice to have someone greet me happily. She was a grade ahead of me, so I didn’t see her in any other classes but PE. I wondered to myself that maybe if we had been the same age that we might have been friends. When I entered first period Mrs. Grimwood was opening up all the windows and propping them up with rulers in hope that the soft breeze blowing outside would cool down the sweltering class. I took my seat in the middle of the room, feeling quite comfortable.

“Move mud.” Someone said above me and I slowly looked up, my little bubble of euphoria bursting. It was Nancy Bates, a socialite in my grade who had enough money to buy my whole family. I froze, not processing what she said. “I said move freak, you’re right in front of an open window.” She threatened and I understood, grabbed my bag and moved to the back of the class defeated.

I sighed and plopped down in my new spot at Nancy took her spot, her nose up in the air like she was all high and mighty. Nancy and I had been friends in elementary school; she liked me since I would always play games with her that the other girls wouldn’t, like hardcore tag and wrestling in the mud. But after a while she started to be a girly girl, not wanting to play with me as much and just messing about with the other girls at school. She invited me to a slumber party one weekend; I was overjoyed to go since I thought she didn’t want to be my friend anymore. But when I got there and rang the doorbell no one answered, I heard giggles and looked up, and standing in the open window was Nancy and three older girls holding water balloons. They hailed down on me, bursting open and covering me in a layer of gooey, slimy mud.

“MOLLY, MOLLY, MOLLY THE MUD MONSTER!” They screamed as I stood there, soaking wet and quiet with shock. They chanted the verse over and over as I started to cry and slowly walked home, leaving dirty footprints on the bright white sidewalk. I stared at the back of her blonde head, sneering slightly at the atrocious memory and stared out the window angrily. I’d often toyed with the idea of lighting someone’s hair on fire, or doing something to scare them simply out of revenge, but I’d never gone through with it. It seemed so petty, even when I was little I wouldn’t have done that. It would have been just as bad as what Nancy did; I couldn’t do that.

One of Nancy’s friends glanced back at me, snickering at my disheartened expression and nudged another girl; soon they were all starring at giggling. I bit my lip and looked down; breaking my code of conduct didn’t seem so bad for a second. Just a little hair singeing… 

“Girls!” Mrs. Grimwood hissed and smacked her metal ruler down on the top of her desk, making everyone in the room jump and the girls whip around in their chairs with arched backs and stiff smiles of ‘we weren’t doing anything!’. I slouched down in my chair, messing with the hem of my short skirt as Mrs. Grimwood droned on about the Civil war. I crossed my ankles and looked out the window, two mourning doves sat together on a low bough of a birch tree with their heads bent next to one another, cuddling like an elderly couple. Animals were far kinder than humans. 

I made sure to replace the lock on my changing room locker so that none of the girls could steal my clothes, it had happened countless times before. I changed into my PE shorts and shirt quietly and slipped into my running shoes, following the stream of girls out into the bright sunshine and oppressive humidity. I stretched my arms out over my head, arching my back with a content sigh, I was always so comfortable in heat. Some girls sent me some belittling glances that I was so content.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” The PE coach shouted and blew his whistle, everyone took off lazily- jogging more than running. I took off sprinting, my leg muscles pulling tightly at first and slowly loosening as I pushed harder. I weaved my way past overheated students, past Wanda to the second spot in the group- behind only the silver haired boy who looked bored as normal. He went slower that day, but didn’t look tired- only as if he was faking it. I frowned to myself and tried to go faster but I couldn’t catch up to him, he was simply too fast, effortlessly so. 

The running took its toll and I slowly slowed down, rejoining the group of other runners- soon I was next to Wanda again.

“Hey.” She said gravely and nodded her head once.

“Hi.” I said back with a little smile.

“I liked your skirt you were wearing earlier.” She commented, I glanced over at her with surprise.

“Thanks. My mom got it for me.”

“She has good taste.”

“I’ll tell her that.”

“Cool.” Wanda smiled at me. The PE coach blew his whistle again, everyone slowed down huffing and puffing glad for a break. I stopped and stood next to the school in the shade and wiped perspiration that had gather at the nape of my neck under my hair and fanned at my neck. Wanda came and stood next to me, slightly out of breath as well. Around her neck was a silver necklace, a little heard shaped locket hung over her shirt.

“I like your necklace, it’s really pretty.” She looked down at her chest at the little heart.

“Oh thanks, my friend Beth got it for me- it’s a little gag gift.” She lifted it off her chest and popped the locket open- inside was a black and white picture of John Lennon in one half of the heart and in the other was a cut out Polaroid of Wanda. She chuckled as I stared it and then laughed.

“Far out!” I said happily and she grinned, shut the locket and let her arms hang at her sides. “John’s your favorite?”

“Yeah, you like the Beatles too?”

“Who doesn’t?!”

“Good point. Who do you like best?”

“Ringo… Ha-ha, can’t go wrong with a drummer!” She beamed and laughed again.

“True, very true! I’m hoping to save up for this year’s concert they have in August, I missed it last year.” She said sadly and I pressed my lips into a sad frown.

“Wow that sucks, I hope you get to go! If you do you’ll have to tell me all about it!” I laughed and then crossed my arms awkwardly feeling embarrassed that I had just assumed she’d want to hang out with me. I was probably ruining her reputation by just being around her.

“That’d be fun.” She said with a little smirk. “I’d love to chat- but I really gotta take a quick shower. I smell disgusting.” She stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.

“Same, running is not very fun.” 

We went our separate ways and I was able to wash up and get changed without too much trouble. The rest of the day was monotonous and aggravating as always and I looked forward to seeing my little friend again when school got out. Mary was definitely the highlight of my days now, second of course was food. 

I plopped myself down in the shade of the school, looking through my math homework and doodling some random pictures of the trees on campus. The silver haired boy stood with a couple of the guy on the track team just yards from me. I glanced up through my screen of fiery hair at him every couple second, taking in his cuteness. Suddenly he looked over and smiled at me for a split second, I ducked my head down into my Math book and my cheeks burned red. My heart thumped wildly in my chest like it wanted to escape my body so as to escape my embarrassment as well. I bit my lip to stop from grinning and focused on linear equations. 

Soon the younger kids barreled out of school like they had been held captive, well, I could understand the feeling and I packed up my books to see if Mary wanted me to walk her home again today. Soon I saw a little red head bobbing through the crowd, looking around for me. I looked both ways and then darted across the street and snuck up on the little princess. I tapped her shoulder and plastered a grin on my face as she turned around suddenly and then engulfed me in a hug.

“I missed you!” She said to me as she squeezed every bit of air out of my lungs.

“I missed you too little bug-a-boo!” I said and hugged her back, grinning to myself. 

“Can we go swing?” She asked and released me, pointing tot the swings in the park between the two schools.

“Sure! Do you like underdogs?” She made this high pitched squealing noise that worried me for a moment until I realized it was excitement that I’d give her underdogs. I laughed lightly and smirked “I’ll take that as a yes!” Mary ran at full speed towards the swings and hopped on one of them. I set my backpack down next to hers on the grass and went around behind her, pushing her higher and higher.

“Mommy-“ She said when she swung downwards towards me like a pendulum “want you- to come – to dinner- tonight!” She said with each downward swoosh. She looked over her shoulder at me “Can- you –come?” I was glad she told her mom about me, I was starting to worry that I might get a freaked out soccer mom cussing at me for walking her daughter home. I wondered if Mom and Dad would let me, then I wondered if they would even notice at all.

“Sure!” I grinned gleefully and she bounced on the swing making the chains jump. 

“Yea!!! I’m so glad!!” She squealed again happily and I did a quick underdog which made her scream happily. After a while she wanted to swing on her own so I sat down on the one next to her and pumped my legs, slowly climbing higher into the sky. The chains of the swings squeaked, they needed to be oiled badly and the afternoon breeze had cooled down the hot weather considerably. It was now a comfortable summer late afternoon, I hoped that I would see lightning bugs in the trailer park that night; it would be a perfect evening for them. Some especially nice nights I could see their little flashing from my bedroom window and fall asleep to their ballet. 

“Do you like chicken?” Mary asked as we swung in synch with one another.

“mhh-hmm.”

“Marinoted Chicken?”

“Marinated?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the best kind!”

“Ok good, that’s what Mommy is making tonight. That and potatoes. Do you like potatoes?”

“They’re the best.”

“I have a Mr. Potato head!”

“No way!”

“Yes way!” She grinned and pumped harder, going up into the air little a little pink bird in her pink shirt and skirt. 

“That is like the grooviest thing ever!” I shouted and kicked my legs out dramatically. We talked for a while longer and then jumped off the swings and tumbled into the grass, getting green marks on our knees and elbows. I giggled and wiped bits of grass off my legs and Mary’s back and she did the same for me.

We ran into Angry Joe on the walk to her house, he cawed at us until we were a safe distance from his tree, his name was fitting. I was a bit nervous about meeting her mom, I was a little scared that I’d get chewed out, or that maybe her mom was insane in general…. I simply didn’t want to lose my new friend. I started to get very nervous when we got closer to her house and my hands shook slightly.

“I’m excited for you to meet my sister too because maybe you can convince her to play Monopoly!” 

“That definitely sounds like fun.” I said shakily as Mary pulled her front door open and I stepped inside after her getting blasted in the face with a powerful blast of cold air. Here goes nothing. I thought to myself and walked behind Mary as she bellowed to her mother that we had arrived. I turned the corner and saw Wanda Maximoff sitting at the kitchen island with her science homework; she looked up smiling and then looked shocked.

“Vietnam Girl?!”


	6. Peter

**Chapter Six: Peter**

“Wanda?” I said in surprise my jaw going loose and my hands falling to my sides in shock. Mary looked back and forth between the two of us, confusion spread across her freckled face.

 

“You know her?” Mary asked and pointed at Wanda.

 

“We have PE together; we were just talking about the Beatles today.” Wanda said and started grinning, like the whole situation was purely amusing.

 

“Wow this is cool, nice to finally um- meet you properly I guess?” I laughed and extended my hand across the kitchen island over to Wanda. She laughed as well and shook my hand; she shook her head as she did so.

 

“Well this is an unexpected twist.” Wanda said just as their mother came into the kitchen with her hair up in a ponytail and a kitchen towel thrown over her shoulder. She grinned at me and rushed over, first shaking my hand and then just pulling me in for a tight hug.

 

“Hello its lovely to meet you Molly, Mary here has told us quite a bit!” I blushed and ducked my head down, uncomfortable with all the attention but pleased I wasn’t yelled at for walking Mary home from school. “Now what was an unexpected twist Wanda?” She asked and went over to the fridge, pulling out a cake pan of marinating chicken.

 

“Well it’s just that Molly and I have talked a couple times at school, about the Beatles and Vietnam, I knew the girl who was walking her home went to my school- but I didn’t expect it was Molly. It’s just that you’re so shy.” Wanda said and turned towards me, explaining herself. I bit my lip and nodded my head; clasping my hands behind my back as Mary waddled side to side in exasperation we were not playing monopoly yet. I glanced down at her and she looked up at me, I winked quickly and she giggled.

 

“Wanda will you play Monopoly with Molly and I?” Mary asked while walking up to the kitchen island on her tippy toes and then resting her head on the cool marble counter. Mrs. Maximoff laughed to herself and I rolled my eyes at the theatric drama queen that was Mary. Wanda set down her pencil and put her head in her hand, keeping eye contact with Mary and sighed deeply.

 

“Well, I guess so.” She answered after what I was sure a very harrowing ten seconds for Molly. A chorus of happy screams and ‘I love you and you are the best sister ever!’ were thrown out there before Mary grabbed both of our hands and dragged us to her pink princess bedroom to grab the board game. Mary pulled down the board game off of her bookshelf and handed it to Wanda who was put in charge of setting up the game in the center of the floor, while she did that Mary preoccupied herself by introducing me to each and every single one of her stuffed animals that were all arranged on her bed so that they could all fit. In total she had about 11% of her bed to herself, the rest was all for her inanimate buddies.

 

“This is George, Rudolf, Arnold, Bessie, Josie, and Clementine…” She went on and on, Wanda grinned at me and I grinned back- happy that she was Mary’s sister. Wanda was cool. The sort of cool that made you feel both privileged and comfortable to be around. Once Mary was done showing me all of her stuffed animals we sat cross legged around the board, little stuffed animals sitting in the spots in between us “so they won’t get lonely” and began. Mary was the little silver dog, Wanda was the top hat and I was the shoe.

 

“BOARDWALK NO!” Wanda screamed as I laughed so hard my sides ached, I had just bought boardwalk and had gotten Park Avenue the previous time around the board. She was clearly upset she did not get the two best spots on the board. “YOU ARE CHEATING SOMEHOW GOOD SIR AND I MUST PROVE IT!” She screamed as she handed me the little piece of cardstock that was the boardwalk property and I started to laugh so hard I was crying.

 

“GOOD SIR! GOOD SIR WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Mary shouted at us with a serious expression, imitating her sister and her theatrics. Soon everyone was yelling “good sir” very loudly and sprawled out on the floor laughing our heads off. A soft knock came from out of the room and we all froze, slowly sat up and then Mary called:

“Come in!”

 

Mrs. Maximoff slowly peeked her head inside with a worried expression.

 

“Everything alright?”

 

“EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER GOOD SIR!” Wanda screamed and her voice cracked half way through with laughter and the three of us were all in stitches again.

 

“Okay…” She said and slowly backed out of the room as we shook on the floor and probably looked like a group of beached fish.

 

We never finished the game, not that anyone truly ever finished a game of Monopoly, but supper was ready and we had to go and eat. Mrs. Maximoff was at the head of the table, Mary and I sat next to each other on her left and Wanda was to her left and there was an open chair next to her. Wanda helped Mrs. Maximoff set the table and I had to sit still, I felt bad that they wouldn’t let me help and shifted uncomfortably. Before we all sat down Mrs. Maximoff looked out the front door anxiously, like she was waiting for something.

 

“Where is he?” Wanda whispered to her quietly, thinking I couldn’t hear them.

 

“I don’t know.” Her mother said back gruffly and then came back into the dining room, plastering on a forced smile. It was then I remember Mary’s older brother Peter, the kleptomaniac who the law finally got caught up with. I ducked my head down awkwardly and glanced over at Mary who just looked disappointed he wasn’t home to have dinner with us.

 

“Well let’s eat!” Mrs. Maximoff said and began to dish up food for us girls, leaving behind some strips of smoky chicken left for Peter and a couple small boiled potatoes that we all mashed up and sprinkled basil leaves over. When I took the first bite I almost moaned with happiness, Mrs. Maximoff made the best food I’d ever had the privilege of eating ravenously. Mom and Dad couldn’t cook and for years we’d eat the cheapest, simplest food imaginable. Every day for a week straight we had canned beans and hotdogs once. It was better when they went through streaks of slight sobriety, but that was rare and hadn’t happened in over a year and a half. I was the one who usually cooked and if there was anything in the world I was worse at than cooking I had yet to find it.

 

“This is absolutely awesome.” I said and took another bite of rich potatoes seasoned with butter and freshly ground basil. Mrs. Maximoff smiled at me and glanced at Mary almost approvingly of her new friend she dragged home like a cat with a dead bird.

 

“So Molly, what do you like to do in your spare time?” I shrugged my shoulders and cut myself a piece of chicken.

 

“I like to crochet, I make blankets. I read a lot.” I clicked my head to the side, unsure of what to say, it was rare that anyone asked me personal questions ad I didn’t know how to respond.

 

“Who are your parents?” I froze up and paused before eating my piece of chicken. This was always an awful question to be asked. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the Browns, the drunks.

 

“Um. Chad and Darcy Brown.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve met them.” Oh thank goodness. “Where do they work?” Uggg…

 

“Mom stays at home; my Dad works is a Bartender.” I said truthfully even though I wished to lie. But before I could be hit with another round of upsetting questions the front door flew open, slammed shut and then suddenly the album “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd was playing loudly in the basement. I jumped in my chair, causing my water glass to rattle on the table.

 

“What was that?!” I squeaked and stared at the entrance to the basement with wide eyes. Mrs. Maximoff quickly got out of her chair and went towards the basement and rushed down the steps. Wanda sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, Mary held in a sigh.

 

“Am I missing something?” I asked and Wanda stretched an overly happy smile over her face.

 

“Oh nothing, it’s just my brother is home.” I frowned and glanced from her to the door that seemed to have magically slammed open and shut within half a second. How was that possible?

 

“Um, ok.” I said and took a sip of water. The Pink Floyd music stopped suddenly with the sound of a scratching record.

 

“We have company!” I heard a muffled cry from downstairs and pretended not to hear it, like I pretended not to hear my parents fighting. I was good at keeping up façades. One of my few talents.

 

“Ugg not that! Why do I have to deal with some weird creep Mary befriended?!” I heard a male voice retort and I took a very, very long sip of water and avoided eye contact. Everyone was dead silent.

 

“I don’t care what you think. Get up-stairs. Sit down. And be polite young man.” I stared intently at the popcorn ceiling, pretending it was the most interesting thing ever to exist. Mrs. Maximoff reappeared at the top of the steps and had on her strained smile, behind her were the clunking steps of a teenaged boy being forced into something he **really** didn’t want to do. If it was up to me I would have just left him be, it was so embarrassing to even be there for it- much less to be one of his sisters who looked completely humiliated by the whole scene.

 

Soon a head of fluffy, grey hair came into view and my eyes widened a little bit more. Mary’s so called insane, horror movie watching, kleptomaniac brother who already didn’t like me was the guy at school I was crushing on.

 

“Hey.” Peter greeted with an unenthusiastic wave and his signature bored expression I always saw him wearing at school. I smiled brightly at him, pretending not to have heard what he said about me, and stood up from my chair and shook his hand nervously across the table. He shook back tepidly and then plunked down in his seat as he looked me up and down; I sat down slowly and scooted back under the table, wishing I could disappear into thin air. Well if things got bad enough I could lite my hair on fire and simply run away. That was an option.

 

Mrs. Maximoff sat back down at the head of the table and looked at Peter with such intensity I could almost feel an aura of ‘be nice or else’ seeping off of her. She looked over to me and I could tell the questions were going to start again.

 

“So are you going to go to the all ages dance at the school? Wanda is so excited; she wants me to take her dress shopping next week.” I took another bite of chicken and chewed slowly as I thought.

 

“I didn’t plan on it. I just don’t have a reason to go.”

 

“I don’t see what the big deal is, bad music, weird couples and ton of little kids I mean-“

 

“Peter.” Mrs. Maximoff interrupted him midsentence and he rolled his eyes and rested his cheek on his closed fist, glumly moving his potatoes around on his plate.

 

“So how was your day Mary?” I asked turning my head to face the little girl who perked up instantly and went to tell us all about her day varying from the lunch she had to the decorations she and all of the elementary students were making for the dance. I smiled at her as she talked and ate supper; everyone liked her, it was impossible to have any other reaction to the bubbly red haired girl. I glanced over at Peter and found he was staring at me; I made brief eye contact and then returned to watching my food.

 

“So where do you live Molly?” Wanda asked and refiled her water glass. I shifted again as the conversation turned to me.

 

“Jordan Street.” I said vaguely for there were three different Jordan streets in the vicinity, I lived on the crappiest of course.

 

“Oh that’s a nice neighborhood! I have a friend who lives on Jordan Street, her name is Grace- Do you know her?” I shook my head no; I’d never met a Grace in my life.

 

“Oh.” She said and then went quiet, everything felt so tense and awkward, I was never good with introductions. But my plate was cleared and it was getting late, Mary was running low on juice and slouching in her chair with droopy lids.

 

“I really should be getting home.”

 

“Oh my I didn’t even think, your parents must be worried sick! Did you even have a chance to call home and tell them you’d be coming over?” Mrs. Maximoff asked swiftly and cleared the table.

 

“No I didn’t get a chance but they won’t be worried.”

 

“Oh do you have a late curfew?”

 

“I don’t have a curfew.”

 

“Lucky.” Peter piped up and I scoffed, I didn’t have a curfew since my parents didn’t care enough to give me one. “What?” He asked after I laughed at him.

 

“Nothing.” I said bright red “That was just funny to me.” I shrugged my shoulders and he looked offended, like I was making fun of him. I thanked Mrs. Maximoff for the supper and the lovely evening and waved goodbye to Wanda and Peter and got a big night time bear hug from the little princess. It was dusk, getting darker every second and the bats were starting to flutter in the pale purple horizon. I picked up my backpack up from the front entry and threw it over my shoulders as Mrs. Maximoff said a couple more words of thanks and happiness that I had helped Mary a couple days ago. She popped her head outside and frowned deeply at the darkening sky.

 

“Peter you ought to walk her home, it’s getting so dark out!”

 

“Ma why don’t I just drive her?”

 

“You know you’re not allowed to drive the car.” Peter groaned and I held my hands up palms out.

 

“Really I’m fine, I can walk home by myself.”

 

“Oh no darling, it’s not safe for young girls to walk by themselves. Peter get your coat.” She said the last part with that same motherly intensity that made Peter on edge. With one last eye roll he zipped around the corner quickly and came back with his coat. I timidly smiled at him, feeling awful for having to make him walk me home when he wanted to do anything else on earth and also very, very giddy I got to walk home with the silver haired boy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD SIR! I hope you enjoyed their meeting awkward as it was! Peter sure is a little brat sometimes isn't he?


	7. Friends

**Chapter Seven: Friends**

“I’m sorry that you have to walk me home, really I’m fine.” Peter shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands into the oversized pockets of his black varsity jacket with ironed on tigers on the front.

 

“Ma’s right, its late, there are a lot of creepy people in Washington.” He said and looked over at me; I stared at his eyes for just a moment and then started walking. I’d never seen such dark eyes before; in the soft glow of the porch lamp I couldn’t even distinguish his iris from his pupil, it was just an abyssal void. I turned to the left and started down the sidewalk with Peter close behind me.

 

“Aren’t you going the wrong way?” He asked as he pointed in the opposite direction and I cringed.

 

“I’m heading to Jordan Street.”

 

“But it’s- it’s back that way Molly.”

 

“There are three Jordan streets in this area, I simply didn’t specify which.” I pulled my extra sweater out of my backpack and threw it over my shoulders; goose bumps were rising on the tingling skin of my legs, only covered with my thin tan tights. The intense heat of the day wore off and turned into a cool night, I did well with the heat but not with the cold.

 

“Oh.” Peter said with a nod and a glance to the side as it clicked in his mind. “Alright.” He walked next to me, our legs moving in synch; we kept our eyes glued on the ground. Two awkward teenagers with a small amount of mental instability make for a very quiet walk home. The silence was so tense; it made me want to just run as quickly as I could to just get away from the uncomfortable situation. Lighting myself on fire popped back into my head.

 

“So you like track?” I asked suddenly as we passed by the schools, we’d been quiet for blocks.

 

“Yeah. Well, I was, but mom took me out. Because of reasons... How’d you know?”

 

“The varsity jacket, it’s for track.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah it is.” He looked down at the jacket, holding it out in front of himself by pushing his fists forward in the deep pockets. He turned his head towards me and looked at me for a moment. “So you and Mary get along pretty well.”

 

“She’s a cool little girl.”

 

“MhhHmm. So I like heard her side of the story of how you were practically a princess in shining armor that came to her rescue- but like what really happened?” He squinted one eye and leaned in towards me, making my heart pound a little faster.

 

“Well um, I was just doing homework and there was a little pink princess across the street having a breakdown so I went over and asked her if she was alright, she wasn’t, so I asked her if she needed someone to walk her home and she did so I did. Then the next day we talked and she gave me this picture and I walked her home again. I really hope your mom wasn’t upset, I didn’t really think it through, I just felt bad since she was so scared.” I sped through my word, slowly digging myself deeper until I took a deep breath and bit so hard into my tongue so that talking wasn’t even an option. Peter smirked and tossed his head back.

 

“Nah! Its fine. Only problem is that Marry won’t stop yapping about it.” I blushed and went back to starring at my shoes as we walked.

 

“Well good, I was totally freaking.” I sputtered out a weird laugh and bent my head down a little more. I was finally getting to talk with Peter without passive aggressive eye rolls from him every ten seconds, but I was also making a complete doofus of myself.

 

“Yah Yah, its fine though. Really. Oh hey look a dog.” Peter stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk; I took another step and whipped around- staring at him with confusion.

 

“What?

 

“Dog.” He said and pointed into someone’s yard. I turned and looked and sure enough a black lab was watching us with dark eyes from inside of his doghouse.

 

“Oh. Hello dog.” I waved and we stared for another moment and started to walk again. I glanced at him a couple times after that, wondering why the dog was so important. I decided that he must have ADHD as well as the kleptomania thing. Why are the cute ones always crazy?

 

We were just two blocks from my trailer, getting into the bad part of my neighborhood and I could tell Peter was becoming very aware of our surroundings and every little sound. I was pretty relaxed though, other than my heart having a spaz attack I was doing alright, I knew the gang who hung out around here wouldn’t mess with me. We’d all know each other since diaper days, the leader Markus was about the closest thing to a friend I had, when Dad went on a really bad bender I’d run over to his trailer and stay with him. He’d sleep on the floor and let me have his rickety bed that always smelled of his cat Skull.

 

“You can head back, I’m almost home.” I said and stopped, turning and looking at Peter. He glanced around us, fidgeting his hands in his pockets.

 

“Nah that’s alright, isn’t there a gang around here?”

 

“Yah. But they’re cool with locals, just um not new people. I’m perfectly safe, but I don’t really know about you.”

 

“I can handle myself.”

 

“Against seven guys with knives and motorcycles? Come on man they’re not the nicest of guys.” I tilted my head forward, completely confused to why he thought he could take them if something happened, he wasn’t superman.

 

“Neither am I.” I rolled my eyes and sighed, embarrassed that he would have to see where I lived. It was bad enough he knew the neighborhood, but my trailer was one of the worst, especially compared to his house that was like a mansion to me.

 

“Ok whatever. Just don’t get yourself stabbed on your way back.”

 

“Well I wasn’t planning on getting stabbed.”

 

“Does anyone plan on getting attacked by a gang?” I asked sarcastically “Do some people just wake up in the morning and go over to their calendar and they’re just like ‘oh wow I completely forgot! Today’s stabbing day!’ and leave and go find a gang who is all ready for them? ‘Oh hey bill! Ready to be stabbed?” I asked using different voices for each person and crossing my eyes when I played the idiot who planned on getting stabbed. Peter muffled a laugh and held his hand over his mouth for a moment, then ran his long fingers through his hair. I got shivered from the action.

 

“I’m insane.” I whispered to myself after finding almost everything he did intensely attractive.

 

“Why?”

 

“Reasons.” I sighed and blushed. We were at my house. I stooped on the sidewalk, looking glumly at the dirt yard and at a tumble weed that had somehow gotten caught under the porch. “Ok so this is me, thanks for walking me home, it was nice of you.” I looked up at him with a soft smile, barely able to see his face in the darkness but I could make out a faint line of his lips smiling back.

 

“Not at all. Sleep well Molly.”

 

“You too. Bye.”

 

“Bye.” He said and turned around on the sidewalk, keeping his head down and walking away at a steady pace. I grinned to myself and walked up to my trailer.

 

“Oh and peter-“I began and turned around on the sidewalk, about to tell him I was sorry he couldn’t do track any more, but when I turned around he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I walked back onto the sidewalk and looked both ways, nothing. No silver hair illuminated by the flickering street lamps, no tiger varsity jacket, no Peter. “Weird.” I muttered and headed into the trailer.

 

Mom and Dad were sleeping in there room, I cracked their door open and glanced inside, Dad hadn’t even taken off his shoes before he crashed on their bed. I crept in and slipped off his well-worn shoes, setting them off to the side where he usually put them and went to my room. I slipped out of my clothes and just crawled into bed, bypassing changing into pajamas and just slept in my underwear under all of my quilts and blankets. It was ridiculous to sleep under so much weight when it was spring, but it was the only place I felt safe. Being crushed and suffocated never felt so comforting.

 

 

 

I woke up surprisingly refreshed and in a good mood when the morning sun rose and my ringing alarm woke me. I lazily turned it off and sat on the edge of my bed, starring at my sock covered floor with my mouth hanging open, morning breath tangy on my tongue.  I grabbed my bathrobe and lumbered into the tiny bathroom, brushing my teeth and then hopping into the lukewarm shower and washing my hair. I got out as quickly as I could, my teeth chattering and my knees knocking with the freezing temperature. Soon I was wrapped up in my quilts starring into my sparse closet. Most of my clothes were hand-me-downs from cousins and my mom only a couple garments like my shoes and underwear were mine and mine alone. I picked out a flowing dress that reached mid-thigh, some faux leather boots and a bag with long tassels I found at the second hand store last winter. <http://www.polyvore.com/school_outfit/set?id=124536566> Then I borrowed one of my mom’s bracelets she got from a Native American friend of hers in college and slipped it on.

 

With careful hands I braided a little headband over the top of my head, weaving little bits of hair into a small, thin braid. I smiled at my mirror, feeling pretty for once, and then grabbed my backpack and some breakfast- then left for the day. The walk to school was beautiful, all of the trees were budding, grass was coming in thick as always and the birds sang their cheery spring songs. The weather was beyond perfect, not cold, not hot, just a soft cool breeze sliding through my hair and the sun warming my skin. I sighed contently every once in a while, just happy to be out of my toxic home and out in the morning sun.

 

Since I was late to getting out of the house because of my shower and extra time with my outfit and hair I had no time to relax at the park and had to swim into the stream of students flowing into the school. I kept my head down and kept to the outside near the lockers, hoping to avoid confrontation and just went to my first class. But as I was walking I felt someone brush up against me and I looked up, Peter passed by with a light mischievous grin that made me just want to smile back. So I did.

 

“Hey.” He said with a little wave and stopped next to me.

 

“What’s up?” I greeted.

 

“I was just wondering if you have any classes with me, you seem familiar.”

 

“No, only PE but everyone has PE.”

 

“Oh so are you a junior?” He asked and I shook my head.

 

“Nope, freshman.”

 

“Oh, oh wow I thought you were older.” I shrugged my shoulders and pressed my lips together.

 

“Nope.” I said and popped the ‘p’ with a bounce on my heels.

 

“Ahh ok. So um, I guess I’ll see you at lunch, I really have to book.”

 

“Catch ya later!” I said with a little wave as he disappeared with a grin into the crowd. I sighed happily to myself and kept moving. Maybe school wouldn’t be so bad after all?

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Gore and spitballs, but I'm guessing the gore is worse.

**Chapter Eight: Lunch**

I plopped myself down in the back row, starring aimlessly at the dusty blackboard as Mrs. Grimwood droned on about something I didn’t care about and talked about a test I didn’t want to do. Nancy was passing notes back and forth between her doggish ‘friends’ and cackling softly. I rolled my eyes and sunk down lower into my seat, the hard wood bite my spine and made me shift uncomfortably. Suddenly Nancy whipped around and hocked a spitball at me out of a plastic bendy straw.

 

“Ew.” I whispered with disgust and shook my arm so the repulsive slobber ball would fall off my sleeve. I looked up at her and glared; she turned around quietly and giggled to herself and her lackeys. My lip twitched in an angry sneer as they passed more notes behind the teacher’s back and strategized their next assault. They were completely and utterly wack.

 

The torture continued the entire morning, for every class I either had Nancy in or one of her little cheese eaters messing with me. I wanted to raise my hand and rat on those idiot weasels. But something always stopped me, either my intense fear of what they might do to me or commons sense, who knows maybe it was divine intervention. Maybe God really didn’t want me to be beaten up every day for the rest of high school. But whatever it was kept me silent as I was berated with little bits of paper and spitballs. My original thought this morning that school might not be a horrible hell hole full of people I despised was totally crushed throughout the morning sessions. By lunchtime I was emotionally drained and had the mental capacity of a duck, make that a dead duck. Yes. I was a dead duck.

 

So being the duck that I was I waddled into the cafeteria, bought a cheap lunch and then waddled out the outside world and hid behind a tree. I planned on sitting out front where it was less windy and had more shade but I saw Nancy and her girls patrolling for me and flirting with everything that moved, so I decided just to hang low in the back of the school. I sat with my legs crossed and my back resting against the base of the tree, my head down as I stabbed at my wilted salad with a plastic fork.

 

I feel like I’m underwater most of the time, just watching everybody swim happily by me as I slowly sink deeper and deeper. But when I hit the bottom I get these intense moments of complete clarity, I realize how depressed and alone I feel. I’d been sinking for a long time, but when I hit the bottom I didn’t get any wonderful moment of clarity that made me want to change everything in my life and attempt to stitch my parents back together like usual. Instead I curled into the fetal position and let my lungs flood with water as I stared out into the blackness of the sea, watching others swim contently past me. But when I met Mary I knew I couldn’t stay curled up; so I stood up on the bottom of the sandy sea and kicked off. I swam towards her, like I was swimming to save little 8 year old Molly Brown who couldn’t understand her parents had an illness that made them unloving, that made them sit and stare at nothing for hours, that made them violent and hateful, that made them love drugs more than their daughter. The more time I spent with Mary the harder I pushed to escape the ocean, and the clearer things became to me.

 

The dinner at Mary’s sealed the deal for me. At the time I was uncomfortable and shy, though I couldn’t pin down exactly why. Sure I was a shy person, but not horribly so, just to the extent I could avoid people who might want to mock or tease me. But sitting at the base of that towering oak tree was when it all clicked in my thick, conditioned head. Mary’s family was nice. Well they weren’t angels; Peter could easily be filed under the Jerk category during dinner… But they cared about each other. Mrs. Maximoff watched out for her kids, she wanted to meet me and make sure I was ok since she worried about Mary. She was taking Wanda dress shopping because she wanted her to be happy, to have a fun time at the dance. She was strict with Peter because she hated that he could be filed under the Jerk category sometimes. I could tell she blamed herself about that.

 

I looked past the random people walking around the schoolyard, past Nancy as she strutted towards me, past the trees and the playground and everything else in view. I was finally at the surface, gasping for air as I treaded water on the surface of the ocean. Panic rose and my stomach tightened as I tried to stay afloat and not fall under the lulling effect the ocean of misery and stuffing my emotions had on me. I always tried to tell myself I had it so good, that Mom and Dad cared about me and that their drug and alcohol usage wasn’t a problem. I’d been lying to myself for too long about my life that they were in control of the substances and that as a family we were alright.

 

But waking up at two in the morning to your Dad beating the life out of your Mother and then smashing your door in, threatening to kill you, was not a happy and healthy family. I’d been stuffing all of my negative emotions. Feel sad that your Mom has just given up on life? Stuff, stuff, stuff until you’re numb. Feel angry that your Dad spends more time at the Bar than with you? Stuff and repeat. All of my emotions were balled up inside of me, simmering and pulsating as I tried to stuff more negativity into the ball.

 

My breathing became rapid and my pulse sored, I was ridged and stiff as all of my ignored emotions came swirling to the surface. I was catatonic. I didn’t see Nancy approach me and start to chew me out about something stupid, I didn’t see the small group of people encircling us grow ever larger until it was a group of jeering teenagers screaming for a cat fight. And I definitely didn’t see the Maximoff twins pushing their way through the group to see what in the wide world was going down.

 

I heard a faint scraping sound of something dragging across the grass and then a biting pain slap me in the cheek. I tipped over to my left and shook my head after I caught myself with my left hand, the fictional ocean drained away slowly and I faded back into reality; I found myself surrounded by a mob of screaming teenagers, shaking their fists and grinning. I stood up quickly, my head whipping side to side as the blurry world came back into focus and fear choked my thoughts. It took me a second, but I figured out Nancy had just kicked dirt and rocks at me, dust clung to my cheek and stung my eyes. It still felt like I was underwater though, the voices were muffled and softened. I stumbled when I was on my feet, the world spun around me for a moment and then all I saw was Nancy; everything else was blurred out of my vision.

 

Her curly platinum hair was messed up, probably because she had been dancing around so much when she yelled and her face was turning bright red like a tomato as her oversized mouth was flapping. I took a step away from her with my hands up and she lurched for me with her own hands in fists. But Nancy’s punch was unbalanced, slow and weak. As her fist flew towards me I calmly lifted my hand, catching the punch in the palm of my hand easily. I gripped her balled hand as tightly as I could, my fingernails digging into the flesh of her hand and my fingers tightening around it like a vice. Her face contorted with pain and I stared at her calmly, this all felt like a dream. I just stared at her like a scared animal, wide eyes, rapid breathing and shaking limbs. But the hand that was wrapped around hers was calm, and slowly heating up.

 

Nancy started to scream, the palm of my hand was turning red, burning her flesh as I pushed her downwards into the dirt. I was no longer in control of my actions, the fire and stuffed emotions were spewing out, in a very violent way. Nancy was crumpled on the ground howling as I burned her hand, tears rolled down her face and she shook. Something clicked in my mind; maybe it was her piercing scream that brought me back to reality or the terrified faces of the crowd. But it was most likely the hands that grabbed my waist and yanked me off of her.

 

My hand became instantly cool as it was ripped off of her burning skin and I tumbled back into someone’s arms. Everything became suddenly loud, louder than I could handle and I fell to the ground with my legs between my knees. The excited yelling turned into shouts of fear, the kids all scattered as the fight turned into something they didn’t want to be accountable for. I started to sob, rocking back and forth in the dirt, reverting into a childlike state as my world shattered.

 

“Molly?! Molly?!” The voice was distance, I was too far within myself to respond, I just kept rocking. My eyes were squeezed shut tightly as soft fingers cupped my face and made me look up. “Molly look at me, it’s gonna be ok.” I shook my head ‘no’.

 

I’d just used my powers in front of dozens of people, I’d burnt Nancy’s hand, I was as good as dead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GASP* OH NO!!! WHAT EVER SHALL HAPPEN?  
> Guess you're just gonna have to read and find out *wink wink* I really am quite horrible at this whole Author's Note thing...  
> Sorry 'bout that GOOD SIR!


	9. Quicksilver

**Chapter Nine: Quicksilver**

**Peter’s Point of View**

When mom was pissed the best thing I could do was shut up, sit still and shut up again for good measure. But the problem with that is Mom over reacts; a lot. Now I don’t mean she just a little angry when something happens, like when she finds some more little Debbie snacks I’ve “borrowed” from the supermarket stashed under my bed and makes me return them all. That is getting off pretty easy. But when I’m totally falsely accused of stealing ninety five bucks worth of steel pipe from the hardware shop she totally flips out and loses her mind. I mean the whole situation was a fabrication.

 

Why would I need that much pipe? Why would I need pipe in the first place?!

 

Ok so the answer is that it looked like a challenge to get down since it was on this really high shelf and I sorta had three Doctor Peppers beforehand…. Ok so I got a little hyper and stole ninety five dollars’ worth of steel pipe and hid it in the attic. Big deal! It is not like I was at some weird concert making out with a hippie with dreadlocks, hint, hint WANDA.

 

Ok so anyway, Mom was REALLY pissed with me once she found my pipe stash and realized the accusations were true and proceeded to drag me down to the police station where I was interrogated forever and then released since they couldn’t prove jack. How Mr. Rowzowski, the hardware shop owner, figured out to point the finger at me in the first place- I have no clue. But even though I got off free with the law, I basically got my head chewed off by Mom.

 

So when I finally escaped her clutches and got home, ready to hang out, play ping pong and watch TV I was completely unprepared to find out that some creep had been hanging with my little sister. I flopped down on the couch, the springs groaning with the sudden impact and scooped up the remote off the floor. Star Trek was pretty groovy, so I leant my head off the side of the couch and watched it all upside down; it was more interesting that way. Scattered all over the floor of the living room where these pictures of Mary and Wanda. The girls were pretty tight, but I figured Wanda must have agreed to take Mary to the Beatles concert she wanted to get into so badly or something for Mary to be doodling her over and over. I reached down and snatched one up, inspecting it closely and taking note that she was not half bad at drawing. No Van Gogh, but at least the heads weren’t the size of potatoes and the bodies weird and stick shaped anymore.

 

“Why do you keep drawing you and Wanda?” I asked and let the paper float out of my hands and back onto the floor; I tilted my head back and looked at Mary upside down. She frowned and got all defensive.

 

“Its not Wanda!” She snapped and I rolled my eyes.

 

“Well then who is it?” I asked sarcastically. How many people could my kid sister know? Its not like she was the best at making friends, or keeping them. Well, I guess that is sort of calling the kettle black. Mom always says that. I don’t really know what it means but it seems like it fits in here.

 

“It’s me and Molly!” She said happily and I raised an eyebrow.

 

“Who’s Molly?” I asked and flipped around, propping my head up with one elbow and stretching out on the couch.

 

“My new friend.” She grinned and looked down at the picture like it was a masterpiece.

 

“You made a friend?” This molly chick had to be a new imaginary friend, like how all of her stuffed animals had names. ‘Molly’ looked like a bigger version of Mary in the pictures, with the same fire truck red hair and fancy dresses. I was having a hard time believing that she had a new friend. Mary frowned deeply and put her little hands on her hips, dropping the picture to the ground and standing up, looming over me and trying to be intense and intimidating. It was pretty funny.

 

“Yes I made a friend! Is it that hard to believe you clackomantiac?!” She shouted in my face and I rolled my eyes. I seriously did not need this from her. Little sisters were supposed to be adorable and only annoying sometimes, not on my back constantly like Mom. And I mean she doesn’t even know what it is like to think a million miles an hour and have everything around you be as boring as grass growing. She didn’t’ have the right to criticize me.

 

“MARY!” Mom hollered from the kitchen where she was cooking and Mary jumped, her eyes going a little bit wide for a moment until she composed herself and decided there was no way on earth she was backing down from this. I sat up as Mary and Mom started to argue and Mom stomped into the room with the same posture as Mary, hands on her hips and a frown as big as Texas. That sort of diffused the situation and soon Mary was showing her pictures to Mom who seemed just as confused as I was.

 

“Is she in your class? What grade is she in?” Mom asked as she looked over the pictures, there had to be at least a dozen and a half on the floor in neat little stacks.

 

“I dunno, she doesn’t go to my school.” Mary said and I straightened up, what in the heck was going on? Was this more of her imaginary friends crap or did some freak seriously befriend my second grade sister? I looked over at Mom, my eyebrows knitted together and my jaw tight, she looked just as freaked as me. “She goes to Peter’s school. She walked me home yesterday when you forgot. And again today. We had Kool-Aid in the backyard and she taught me to braid flowers.” My eyes widened and I glanced instinctively into the backyard, like some demon eyed, red head girl was going to be standing in the too tall grass staring at us wearing a pointy teeth grin. There of course, was nothing, so I turned back to Mary and Mom. Once it registered in my thick skull that she went my school I rushed through my head of anyone who might have walked her home, no one came to mind. I was starting to freak that some pedo was hanging with Mary.

 

“Wait, how old is she?!” Mom looked freaked out of her mind, she was bent down at eye level with Mary and her eyes were flashing around back and forth like she was trying to process this as quickly as possible. I stood and stared, getting pretty worried too.

 

“I think she is younger than Peter. She had red hair like me, and she is really pretty and she talks to me about stuff. She doesn’t have siblings.”

 

“And she walked you home?! What did I tell you about talking to strangers?!” Mom shouted and I jumped a little, yeah I agreed with her whole heartedly this was a messed up situation and that it was not ok for Mary to be hanging with people we didn’t check out first, but screeching your head off was not a good way to handle it. I opened my mouth a little, trying to figure out if I said anything if she would just explode into a thousand pieces. I closed my mouth and bit down on my lip, deciding it was best just to do the ole’ shut up and sit still act.

 

I looked down at Mary whose shoulders were hunched up, her head ducked down like the force of Mom’s voice was almost pinning her to the floor and her chin quivering. I opened my mouth again to try and calm Mom down but nothing came out, for once I couldn’t say anything. I had morphed into a fish.

 

“I WOULDN’T HAVE EVER TALKED TO HER IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU! YOU SAID YOU WOULD PICK ME UP FROM SCHOOL ONE LAST TIME BUT YOU DIDN’T. I waited mom! I waited an hour! Molly came over and checked on me b-because I was crying! Then she brought me home since I was scared to go by myself! Why is it dangerous?! She didn’t do anything wrong!” Mary cried, tears streaming down her face and her little fists waving madly around in the air. Mom held the edges of her apron so tightly I thought she might tear the stained fabric right in two.

 

“Peter go to your room.” She said without taking her eyes off of Mary.

 

“Mo-“I started to say but she interrupted me.

 

“GO!” She shouted and I saw tears in her eyes. I knew it would be an even bigger crap storm if I stayed, so I booted as quickly as I could and went to the basement. Everything slowed down for a moment until I laid down on my futon, then my hair caught up with my speed, poofing out on both sides, my posters rippled with the wind I created and the pages of the magazines on the coffee table fluttered. I sighed and closed my eyes, pushing my head down into my lumpy pillow.

 

I couldn’t stop thinking about this Molly girl. She had to be pretty charismatic to get Mary to like her so much. The who situation sounded so fishy to me… Mary said she was probably younger than me, but if she was some sort of freaky abductor like I was thinking her to be she had to be pretty baby faced. My thoughts were a little sporadic normally but that night I was just worried, and a little scared for my baby sister.

 

I woke up five minutes before school started the next day and took a quick shower and got dressed in under twenty seconds. Sometimes being fast had some pretty rad advantages. I threw my books haphazardly into my backpack and zoomed to school, making a quick detour at the bakery to grab myself some donuts. I put the extras in my backpack and met Wanda at the entrance of the school just as she was walking in.

 

“Hiya.” I said and handed her a glazed donut, her favorite, and pushed the door open with my shoulder.

 

“Holy crap Peter you scared me!” she said with wide eyes, smacking my head but taking the donut happily. “You need to be more careful.” She leant in towards me, almost hissing the words I’d heard a million times from mom.

 

“If anyone saw me, would they really believe their eyes? Oh wait, no they wouldn’t since **no one** can see me.” I said with a perfectly timed eye roll and entered the school, nodding my head at my friend Brent as he passed by me, his girlfriend Shelby under his arm.

 

“You’re such a dork.” She muttered and bit into the donut carefully, trying to keep her face and fingers free of gooey glaze.

 

“Rude!” I replied in a high girly voice and jutted my hip out to the side, placing my hand on my hip as I gave her crazy eyes. She tried not to laugh; she really did, but failed in the end. I’m simply too funny. “Oh, mom told Mary to bring that girl who walked her home from school over to dinner tonight. So you better be there by five thirty” Wanda mentioned and I whipped around to face her. She looked so calm; it pissed me off.

 

“How the heck are you so calm about this?” She shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I mean the girl is just being nice, it’s not like she did any to Molly.” I shook my head and frowned.

 

“It’s just, wrong. I mean she sounds like a creep.”

 

“You haven’t even met her.”

 

“And have you?”

 

“Well no.”

 

“Then it’s better to be cautious than sorry.” I said bitingly and stalked to my first class of the day, getting there just in the nick of time. Since school sucked, and so did my teachers and the homework and basically everything related to school was awful I tried to get to class late. But, being faster than a lightning bolt made being a rebel a little hard sometimes. Once I got to class fifteen minutes early. It was awful. I still shiver thinking about it. I had to sit and talk with the teacher who was so “happy that you’re cleaning up your act Peter!” and “I hope you make this a regular occurrence!” It was sickening experience.

 

I slowly calmed down over the day, but the thought of meeting creepy Molly was grating on my mind as I went about my monotonous day. So I had to pull a couple pranks of course. First I stole all of the toilet paper from all of the bathrooms minus the one in the teacher’s lounge since I am too scare- I um mean I just don’t want to go into that room of horrors… Then I put all of the toilet paper in the principal’s room, stacking it in a pyramid shape on his desk and shoving it into every nook and cranny of his filing system that I could. Then I stole some desserts from the kitchen and replaced the donuts I ate with little fudge bars. All of this took place in about ten seconds since I was pretty jazzed from all the donuts.

 

As school was getting out I ran into Brent again, we used to be really good buddies when I was in track, his older sister was a mutant too so he was cool with me and Wanda. But after I dropped from track and he got a girlfriend we both were really busy, so we didn’t spend as much time together anymore.

 

“Hey dude what’s the skinny?!” He asked with a huge grin and slapped my hand in a happy high-five. I grinned back at him and messed with my jacket.

 

“Everything is pretty rad, the man is on my back a bit, but hey- they haven’t caught me yet so it’s all chill.” I said with a little bounce of my shoulders, glancing around the campus and spotting a cute chick checking me out. I flashed a grin at the fiery red head and winked, but she looked back down at her notebook and I turned back to Brent. He was always the popular one, I was a bit jealous of that, and I was always the bad boy. Surprisingly not as many girls dig that in real life, the movies lie. So I never really had girlfriends, whereas Brent had about three in the last five months. Each one a bit hotter than the last.

 

“Got yourself a bunny yet?” Brent asked, stopping his previous sentence about track and glancing at the girl a ways away. I laughed and shook my head ‘no’.

 

“Dream on.” I rolled my eyes and shoved hands deeper into my pockets, glancing at the girl again. She was hidden under a tree next to the school, hanging out in the shade with hair the color of Mars.

 

“You wanna come to my crib tonight? Or do you gotta book?” Brent asked as his girl slinked over, sliding under his arm, he didn’t even seem to notice her. I shrugged again. I’m coming to the realization I shrug a lot.

 

“Yeah sure, nothing much going on today. Some ditz is coming for dinner but I can blow that off.”

 

“Rad man! Come on, you **have** to see the far out ride Dad bought me.” He said and led the group of my old track buddies and a couple of their girlfriends to his brand new ride.

 

I was shoved in the back between two guys I wasn’t too familiar with; pretty sure their names were Chris and Bill, or something like that. Brent drove with Shelby squished next to him, whispering in his ear and her hand on his knee. It was sorta sickening. Then her sister, Megan, was next to her and Chris’s girlfriend Audrey sat on his lap. But the Bill dude kept talking with me about the homework he got and how it was basically Latin to him and I got pretty confused to why I should care. But I kept nodding my head and saying “yeah” and “totally” randomly as he talked and it all seemed to work out in the end.

 

We never went to Brent’s house; somehow we ended up at the lake, drinking soda and hanging out on the beach. I ended up being singled out once the sun started to set and everyone wanted to go swimming. Bill hit it off with Megan and I saw them making out on the end of the dock before Brent snuck up and pushed Bill into the water while the rest of us held in laughs on the beach. Then Shelby went to the end of the dock and jumped into the water, clothes and all, and soon everyone was swimming and making out and being weird in general. I was pretty uncomfortable sitting on the beach all by myself, watching all these spazzing couple mess around in the water. So I went to the dock and yelled goodbye over the sound of all the stupid giggling girls.

 

“Catch ya on the flip side!” Brent shouted with a laugh and I faked a smile, waving goodbye and stalked away until I was out of sight. I pulled my goggles out of my inside pocket of my track varsity jacket and slipped them on as my legs started to move quickly. It was best to wear the goggles instead of drying my eyeballs out as I ran. And hey, I looked pretty awesome, so win win. In a flash I was gone from the beach, past downtown and in the basement. I grabbed my favorite record and popped it into the player, flopping on the couch and flipping through an old magazine.

 

Almost immediately Mom was stomping down the steps to the basement and giving me this look that could paralyze even the strongest of men. I peeped over the top of my magazine, she had her hands on her keeps and a scowl on her face, she stalked over and stopped the music. I sighed loudly and sunk deeper into the couch. She already dragged me to the police station this week; I didn’t want to have to have dinner with some freak. She turned to me looking angrier than a wet hen and waved her pointer finger in my face.

 

“We have company!” She said quiet loudly and I rolled my eyes, throwing my head back in a groan.

 

“UGG! Not that! Why do I have to deal with some weird creep Mary befriended?!” I said just as loudly as she had yelled; a big part of me hoped the weirdo upstairs could hear everything we were saying, the smaller part knew I’d regret what I said.

 

“I don’t care what you think. Get up-stairs. Sit down. And be polite young man.” She said sternly and grabbed my ear, tugging me off the couch. I sucked in air through my gritted teeth and batted away her hand, glowering at her as we went up the stairs. I ran my hand through my hair and didn’t look up. This was stupid. Everything was so blasted dumb. Why did I have to do this? Why did I have to be near the Molly freak?

 

I looked up as we finished the climb up the short flight of stairs right into the extraordinarily green eyes of the fiery red head that hung out in front of the school. Suddenly I was completely embarrassed. Freaky Tiki ‘Molly’ was also hot tamale girl from school. I looked back down at the ground and then back to the girl who very obviously heard everything I said. She looked a little pale, and pretty embarrassed. The looks on my sister’s faces only reinforced that I’d messed up.

 

Crap crap crap crap.

 

“Hi.” I said shyly and she smiled, stood up and stuck her hand over the table. What was this? A trap. It had to be. Hot girls who totally heard me bad mouthing them don’t just shake hands and act cool. They freak out. Well at least that is what all of Brent’s girlfriends did to him anytime he teased them and I definitely was not playfully messing with her… I carefully shook her hand and plopped into my chair, freaked out of my mind. She looked down at the chair as she was scooting back under the table and I looked her over. Her skirt was so short it should be illegal. My word I royally messed up. I could feel Mom glaring at me. I would glare at myself if I could. I just wanted to run away. Dying right there and then would have been less painful than making it through dinner.

 

“So are you going to go to the all ages dance at the school? Wanda is so excited; she wants me to take her dress shopping next week.” Mom asked Molly and I scooped the food they left me onto my plate, smashing my potatoes into a pulp with my fork and putting loads of butter on top. I couldn’t look at her. If I did I would run away. This was not going well.

 

“I didn’t plan on it. I just don’t have a reason to go.” She said. I was expecting a higher, girly voice to fit her very feminine figure and looks. But she had a deeper voice, like Stevie Nicks, and holy moly was it ever hot. I gulped and racked my brain for anything to say. I could not believe how awfully I had screwed this up. So I just said the first stupid thing off the top of my idiot head.

 

“I don’t see what the big deal is, bad music, weird couples and ton of little kids I mean-“I started to ramble. I was in too deep abort abort.

 

“Peter.” Mom warned and I almost sighed in relief. I had made a fool of myself in front of this girl already and was almost about to do it again. For once darling mother, you did something 100% perfectly. There was a short, very awkward, extraordinarily tense moment after mom snapped at me. Mary stared grimly at her plate, looking miserable, Wanda looked ready to chop my head off and I didn’t even want to look at mom. Molly shifted uncomfortably in her chair and I just wanted to die.

 

“So how was your day Mary?” Molly asked and turned in her chair, moving all of the attention to my little sister, she loved that. A big grin overcame her face as she went into great detail of everything she did, that day in art class they worked on the decorations for the dance. It was winter themed, dorky I know, so they were cutting out white snowflakes from what construction paper and storing them in bins for the older kids to hang from the rafters in the gymnasium and in the hall ways. Mary said that she got brownie points with the teacher for being so careful with the scissors and taking her time with the decorations, making sure the snowflakes were symmetrical and perfect. I felt pretty proud and for a moment I forgot how big of an idiot I was.

 

I watched the Molly girl, looking back from her and Mary over and over. She had this soft smile on her pink lips as she listened, not annoyed with Mary or a fake smile, but genuine happiness to see Mary so excited. I could tell she was shy, she sat with her legs close together and crossed at the ankles, her head ducked a little and her arms close to her body when she wasn’t eating; and she kept her hair partially obscuring her face. I really want to move it out of her eyes. They were too green to be hidden. Just as I was fantasizing about what she must smell like she looked up at me, her green oblivion eyes absorbing me. She blinked a couple of times before she went back to eating, looking a little flustered. I couldn’t figure out why she acted like that, probably because I made her uncomfortable. I’d given her absolutely no reasons to like me. I hated myself for that. Which was stupid. Everything was so stupid. It was stupid of me to be rude, to misjudge her and purposefully be mean. It was stupid to be freaking out so much about some girl I knew nothing about other than she sounded like Stevie Nicks and looked like an adorable Greek goddess.

 

Supper ended soon afterwards, Mary was crashing and Molly kept sideways glancing at the clock.

 

“I really should be getting home.” She said and drank the last sip of water in her glass, setting it neatly on top of her unused napkin.

 

“Oh my I didn’t even think, your parents must be worried sick! Did you even have a chance to call home and tell them you’d be coming over?” Mom said and began to clear the dishes with Wanda, Mary leant her head against the back of her chair and blinked heavily while starring off into space.

 

“No I didn’t get a chance but they won’t be worried.”

 

“Oh do you have a late curfew?”

 

“I don’t have a curfew.” I had been starring at my lap and when I heard that I rolled my eyes and huffed. Figures. She was some rich girl from Jordan street with perfect hair and eyes who could stay out all night without being hamstringed the next morning.

 

“Lucky.” I muttered under my breath, well aware of the warning glances I was getting. Molly turned to me with one light, red eyebrow raised and sparkling eyes and just laughed for a moment. I glared at her. Now she was making fun of me for having a curfew. Maybe she wasn’t as perfect as I thought. “What?” I snapped a little aggravated with the laugh, even though I probably deserved it I sure as heck didn’t like it.

 

 

“Nothing. That was just funny to me.” She said and turned red, then turned away from me to thank Mom for the diner. I sneered at her when she turned her back, she wasn’t as high and mighty as she thought. I dragged myself out of my chair and took my plate, silverware and glass to the kitchen and gently placed them in the sink as Mom and Molly talked in the front entry.

 

“Peter you ought to walk her home, it’s getting so dark out!” Mom called from the other room and I squeezed my eyes shut, not cool mom. I knew that no matter what I’d end up taking her home, might as well try and drive the car with the horrible deal.

 

“Ma why don’t I just drive her?”

 

“You know you’re not allowed to drive the car.” I asked and went into the front entry, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe, not turning my head towards Molly who stood in the doorway, her frame illuminated by the moonlight. I didn’t want to look at her most likely obnoxious expression.

 

“Really I’m fine, I can walk home by myself.” She said. Ug _she was so pretentious!_ It was getting annoying fast.

 

“Oh no darling, it’s not safe for young girls to walk by themselves. Peter get your coat.” Then why don’t you take her home mother? I wanted to ask and then go to the basement to watch re-runs of Godzilla and mow down on Twinkies while rolling around in a pit of self-despair. I shrugged on my coat and buttoned it up, running my fingertips across the tigers on the front with a sigh. I’d misjudged her. She wasn’t a creep. She was a mean girl.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do believe we can all forgive Peter now for the way he acted at dinner now that we have the full story!  
> You would not believe how both difficult and fantastically fun it is to write by his POV!


	10. Firefight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Gore

**Chapter Ten: Firefight**

**Peter’s Point of View**

“I’m sorry that you have to walk me home, really I’m fine.” She said and sounded pretty sincere. I wasn’t sure. There was something up with this girl and I was determined to find out what it was. It seemed every second she had a new personality, something was going on in her head and making her act the way she did, and it confused the heck out of me. I shrugged my shoulders, there wasn’t much to say but agree. It was sucky I had to walk with her.

 

 

“Ma’s right, its late, there are a lot of creepy people in Washington.” I said trying not to be rude and turned down the sidewalk towards Jordan Street. I’d walked there a couple of times with Wanda when she’d go to her friend’s house and I had nothing to do since Brent had abandoned me. I expected her to walk next to me like a normal person would but when I looked to my side she wasn’t there, I looked over my shoulder and she was just standing stock still on the sidewalk like a duck.

 

“Aren’t you going the wrong way?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. It was possible she wasn’t a creep or a jerk, just a nut job. Most nutters could be pretty charismatic.

 

“I’m heading to Jordan Street.”

 

“But it’s- it’s back that way Molly.” I said perplexed and squinted my eyes at her. Was she going to like wait another minute and hitch a ride on the back of someone’s pickup? She looked really stiff, like she was freaking out and trying to keep her cool about something.

 

“There are three Jordan streets in this area, I simply didn’t specify which.” She said nervously and her eyes flickered around my face, waiting for like some horrible reaction like I’d jump back hissing like she had leprosy. After she retrieved a sweater from her backpack and threw it over her shoulders she turned on her heel and walked away.

 

“Oh.” Was all I said with an awkward glance across the darkening street. Everything I’d thought was wrong. If there was anything I excelled at it was being a mess up. “Alright.” I said quietly and walked next to her. I then remembered that the other Jordan Street, the one we were headed too, was the trailer park’s address. So pretty much I knew nothing about this girl other than she was 1. Not Rich. 2. Really liked my little sister for some reason and 3. Just as socially inept as I was.

 

I had my hands deep in my pockets, my fingers curled under themselves and pushed against my palm. There wasn’t much to talk about. And I felt pretty awful too, so it’s not like I really wanted to converse with the pretty girl who hated my guts and probably just wanted to walk home alone and avoid me for the rest of our existences. She also walked pretty slowly. I was used to going fast. But this girl liked to take her time. She was careful not to step on any of the dry crispy leaves littering the ground, the cracks between the cement slabs of the sidewalk or to step on any of the little ants scurrying about. I don’t think she even realized she was doing it. She just sort of went along with her business without altering the world around her.

 

 “So you like track?” She asked out of the blue after we’d been quiet for several blocks. I looked up at her, what an odd question. Well, it wasn’t too strange or anything but it was a weird conclusion to come too. I had no idea how she knew I liked track since she was a perfect stranger and all. Unless Mary told her.

 

“Yeah. Well, I was, but mom took me out. Because of reasons... How’d you know?” I tried to shy away from the topic of how Mom yanked me from the only thing I was good at since I was _too good_. Like how ridiculous is that?! Just because I’m a mutant I can’t do the things I like to do.

 

“The varsity jacket, it’s for track.” She said and kept her head straight ahead. I felt pretty stupid for not putting that together. I looked down at my jacket and the tigers, I liked the tigers, they were way rad.

 

 “Yeah. Yeah it is. So you and Mary get along pretty well.” I said with a little nod of my head and pursed my lips as I exhaled.

 

“She’s a cool little girl.” Molly responded and moved some stray hair back over her shoulder. She had really pretty hair. My mom always called my sisters’ hair warrior’s hair since it was red as blood. But Molly’s hair wasn’t red like blood; it was more vibrant and glowing like the sun. She looked like a little ray of sunshine walking on the earth. I thought to myself and then almost slapped myself in the face. _This fricken girl is making you all poetic and crap. Get a grip!_

 

“MhhHmm. So I like heard her side of the story of how you were practically a princess in shining armor that came to her rescue- but like what really happened?” I said snapping out of it and leaning towards her a little, looking inquisitive. She took a deep breath and just started to ramble about the whole experience with Mary, a small smirk grew into a large one on my lips, she was absolutely adorable.

 

“I really hope your mom wasn’t upset, I didn’t really think it through, I just felt bad since she was so scared.”

 

“Nah! Its fine. Only problem is that Marry won’t stop yapping about it.” I half lied. The biggest problem for me now was Mary being totally over excited but Mom was really freaked with it all, but Molly was a cool chick and she was just trying to be nice; she didn’t need to know everything that happened behind the scenes at my house.

 

“Well good, I was totally freaking.” She laughed and I grinned at the ground. I felt semi-insane having to walk so slowly and I started to look all around, my eyes zipping from one object to the next. Not too far ahead two eyes glittered in the lamp light, I stared for a while and once we got close enough I realized it was dog. I love dogs.

 

“Oh hey look a dog.” I said with excitement bubbling inside. I really wanted to pet it. But I doubted Molly would be impressed if I trespassed to go and pet the dog.

 

“What?” She asked and stopped walking to face me.

 

“Dog.” I pointed to the little cutie. You see I have this theory, well no its not really a theory, it’s a proven fact.

 

Dogs are better than people. On so many levels.

 

“Oh. Hello Dog.” She waved at him and he wagged his tail a little, but the poor guy was pretty tired so he just stayed laying down and watched us. For a while when I first got my powers when I was eleven I would steal dogs from the dog pound and bring them home. Mom didn’t like dogs for some horribly stupid reason and always made me bring them back. I’d cry for hours since the place would kill the dogs if no one claimed them. I still feel pretty guilty for not finding a way to keep them alive.

 

My eyes followed the dog until his black fur melded into the blackness around him and I couldn’t see my buddy anymore. Once I snapped out of my doggie induced daze I realized we were getting into a rough part of town. I’d heard from my mom that the side of town Molly live in there was a lot of gang violence and once a kid got shot, he lived, but just barely. I wasn’t afraid, I mean I could take them all no matter if they had knives or guns or pretty much anything. I was more worried for Molly though, it had to be pretty rough having all of the gangs hanging around and fighting with each other all of the time.

 

“You can head back, I’m almost home.” She said and I played with the lining of my pockets.

 

“Nah that’s alright, isn’t there a gang around here?”

 

“Yah. But they’re cool with locals, just um not new people. I’m perfectly safe, but I don’t really know about you.” I doubted that.

 

“I can handle myself.” I said seriously.

 

“Against seven guys with knives and motorcycles? Come on man they’re not the nicest of guys.”

 

“Neither am I.” Said the guy who was once caught with eighteen dogs, six of which were Chihuahuas, in his basement bedroom when he was eleven and cried crocodile tears when he had to bring them back to the pound. Molly just sighed with what seemed to be aggravation with me and rolled her eyes.

 

“Ok whatever. Just don’t get yourself stabbed on your way back.”

 

“Well I wasn’t planning on getting stabbed.”

 

“Does anyone plan on getting attacked by a gang? Do some people just wake up in the morning and go over to their calendar and they’re just like ‘oh wow I completely forgot! Today’s stabbing day!’ and leave and go find a gang who is all ready for them? ‘Oh hey bill! Ready to be stabbed?” She asked in a weird voice and I bit my lip, trying not to laugh, I slapped my hand over my mouth and started to chuckle. She was pretty weird. It was cool.

 

“I’m insane.” She whispered to herself with bright pink cheeks probably from embarrassment.

 

“Why?” I asked with a grin, she was cute when she blushed.

 

“Reasons.” Was all she said before stopping in front of a junky trailer that was rusted out near the bottom and sat on a shabby lot. I glanced sideways at it, she looked out of place in the trailer park. “A diamond in the rough” never made much sense to me until that night. It was late, she was home safe, and I really wanted to go and see that dog again. So she said goodnight to me, and I did the same in return, and she went up to her trailer. As soon as I was out of sight I ran as fast as I could back to the dog.

 

He was waiting in the dark for me, wagging his tail so hard it thumped animatedly against the sides of his dog house.

 

“Hi buddy!” I greeted and got down on the grass next to him, petting his soft head. His tongue lopped out of his mouth and he panted happily and set his head on my leg. I lifted up the collar on his neck, his named was engraved on the tag. “Blackie.”

 

“Aww that is a nice name!” I said and scratched behind his ears, Blackie shook his leg and cuddled up next to me. “You’re such a good boy!” I cooed.

 

I love dogs.

 

 

 

School was pretty borning. Nothing interesting what so ever happened. It was mundane and ordinary.

 

Ha-ha psych. The ”you know what” hit the fan BIG time.

 

Ok so here is the skinny on what happened…

 

Everything was starting normally, I got ready in a literal flash, picked up some snacks for Wanda and I, gave her the share of snacks she wanted and then ran into Molly in the hall. We only had a second to chat but it was nice to see her now that I was reassured she was not an insane stalker, a self-absorbed witch and also she seemed to like dogs. I swear if she didn’t like dogs I’d have nothing to do with her. I can’t waste my precious time with people who don’t like dogs.

 

So everything was normal until lunch time. Once I met up with Wanda were planned on going and finding Molly and sitting with her, since it seemed like she didn’t have anyone to hang with, but when we got outside something was going down near the edge of the lot. Everyone was gathered into a tight knit group, jeering and shouting like crazy people.

 

“What in the wide world?” Wanda gasped and we pushed through the other people together, no one even seemed to care, their eyes were glued on some crazy yelling girl with curly hair. Just as we breached the crowd and got to the front we witnessed Molly get a face full of dirt, gravel and bits of grass. She was frozen on the ground for a moment and then sort of crumpled over to the side in a shaky fall with fast blinking, watery eyes. I was about to sprint forward, to intervene, to do absolutely anything but Wanda clamped her hand down on my arm. If I were to intervened I would reveal us and mom wouldn’t have that.

 

Molly jolted off the ground and her eyes were locked on the dumb blonde chick in front of her who looked like she was some failed Doctor Seuss character with her curls bouncing every which way as she danced about. I wondered for a half second if the girl was on an acid trip, or maybe she got ahold of speed. Molly held her hands up and started to back away, clearly not into fighting, but the other girl was intent on being a jerk and tried to pop her one in the face. In a flash, almost too fast for the normal people around us to see, Molly tightly held the other girl’s fist in her own. The girl winced in instant pain and looked from her fist to Molly’s now red eyes.

 

“Wait what.” I whispered once I noticed Molly’s eyes had changed from their normal beautiful green to deep, fiery red like something right out of a horror movie.

 

“You don’t think-” Wanda whispered back and looked up at me, my mouth hung open, she couldn’t be like us! She was cute, funny- she, she was normal! But when the other girl started to roar in excruciating pain and the veins on Molly’s hand started to pulsate red with her whole hand looked like a glowing ember and a weird sort of cooking hotdog like smell filled the air we both realized that oh yeah, she was like us. Molly’s eyes were not only a freaking weird color, but filled with anger as she shoved the girl into the dirt and forced her to her knees. The kids around us scattered screaming and swearing. My heart was in my throat. I’d seen some freaky stuff in the past, mostly in movies, but this was just horrific. I tore my arm away from a petrified look Wanda and sprinted over to Molly, grabbed her waist and tugged her off the now injured girl. Like a light switch being turned off her eyes faded to green, her hand turned from a blowtorch to pale, soft and normal again as she started to sob.

 

The girl’s hand was burnt far beyond recognition; I could see the bone of her knuckles peeking out from under loose, charred flesh that threatened to fall off and blood sizzled on the top of her hand then slowly dripped black off her palm. Or I should say, what was left of her palm. Her fingers were curled under themselves, the flesh had fused together and there was no way it would ever be useable again. I fought back vomiting.

 

“MOLLY?!” I squeaked loudly as she crumpled into the fetal position and started to rock back and forth while making inhuman sounds of distress. I doubted she knew the full weight of what she’d done, that she’d just crippled the girl for life and exposed herself in front of a large crowd of witnesses. Even I’d never done anything as stupid as that before. Wanda doubled over and puked in the grass, making it only harder for me to keep down my own sugary breakfast. I could take the sight of the horrid hand, but what really got me, what really sticks out in my mind is the smell. The smell of cooking meat when it concerned human flesh was something I’d never be able to bleach from my memory.

 

“WANDA!” I screamed at her and she looked up at me, her cheeks sort of a pale green color, and held her stomach with both shaking hands like that would help anything. “You have to do something!” I cried, on the verge of tears. I don’t cry often but I think it was perfectly normal to be freaking out in a situation like this. I was rubbing Molly’s back a bit too forcefully and she was curling up tighter like if she curled tight enough she’d disappear into herself. “Turn it back! Make it all go away! You have to do something!” She shook her head. “You have to make it right,” I begged.

 

“I-I can’t control it that well.” She whispered, I looked over at the girl on the ground, her breathing was harrowed and she had passed out. I pitied her; thank goodness she went unconscious and didn’t have to bear the pain anymore. I didn’t dare look at the hand again. I already knew I’d be having nightmares for weeks. I looked at the hand again. Dang it.

 

“Just do it!” I yelled and she flinched before wobbling over to us, kneeling on the ground and putting one arm around me and the other round’ Molly.

 

“One… Two… Three-“Wanda took deep, steady breaths and suddenly everything around us swirled red and began to disintegrate into little bits of crimson dust. But Wanda, Molly and I were safe in our little protective bubble Wanda created; we wouldn’t be torn up a million ways to Sunday as she reverted time, chance and probability. I took a deep breath and when I exhaled I was standing in the crowd of people again.

 

“Oh my word I love you.” I said and kissed Wanda’s cheek before rushing towards Molly, at the speed of a normal human, and picked her up fireman style just before the blonde chick was about to punch her. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes glazed over as it dawned on her what she’d just experienced. We’d just escaped a horrible, horrible path and chose a hopefully better one. Sometimes when my sister would use her powers it didn’t always turn out for the better and we’d have to deal with whatever permanent changes she’d created. So when she did use her powers to the full extent, it was rare and very serious. This was only the sixth time she’d used them, the last time had been over three years ago. I never felt prouder to have Wanda for my twin.

 

We sprinted to the edge of the football field, no one dared follow us but they did enjoy throwing insults at our backs as we fled. I could have cared less. On any other day I wouldn’t have backed down, I would have given them exactly what they deserved, but right then and there I could have cared less what they said. We’d just adverted a disaster and found out Molly Brown was a mutant. Them calling us awful names didn’t seem that big of a deal in the long run.

 

“WAIT WHAT?!” Molly screeched and I couldn’t help but laugh and set her down on the grass at the edge of the football field. She plunked down on hard on the ground and just stared at us in completely confusion.

 

“B-b-but.”

 

“Yeah.” I said with a nod and huge grin.

 

“N-no?”

 

“MhhHmm.”  I nodded my head. She turned towards Wanda and made a face so silly I started to giggle. Wanda shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I-I’ m not alone?”

 

“Nah!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take it from Peter Maximoff, the best thing to say to someone who thought they were alone their entire lives, that they were weird and odd for having strange powers is *wait for iiiitt*  
> "Nah!"  
> Also make sure you have a really awesome sister who can revert reality a lil' bit so that bad stuff don't happen. You'd be amazed at how often it comes in handy!  
> From now on the new chapters will be newly written, so um yeah? IDK what to say.


	11. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a whole lotta new information to take in as a newly discovered mutant.

**MOLLY POV**

It was impossible. There couldn't possibly be other people like me. My eyes darted between Wanda and Peter. They both looked shaken but smiled none the less.

 

"I- I'm not the only one?" It was less of a question and more a statement of disbelief.

 

"There are lots of us, all over the world," Wanda said and sat down on the grass. Her hands shook and she clamped them together and attempted to even her breathing. Although she wasn't making everything red again it felt like the whole world was spinning and throwing me into the farthest reaches of space. I felt cold and light headed all at once.

 

I turned away and vomited into the grass.

 

"Ew," Peter muttered and squished his nose up as I heaved again.

 

After I had regained control of my stomach we decided to skip the rest of the school day and just head back to their house. Then in a few hours we'd come and pick up Mary. Although Peter suggested using his "super speed" to get us all to the house in a matter of seconds he was shot down. Both Wanda and my nerves were pretty well shot and needed to avoid being aggravated further. There were about a thousand questions I asked in the span of a few blocks from the High School to their modest abode.

 

"How many of us are there?"

 

"Well," Wanda began "no one knows for sure. But we have met about ten, including those my mom knew, and know of a lot more." I nod. Wrapping my mind around this "mutant" thing is difficult. The thought that this is science, involving genes and DNA, is a relief. The thought I was cursed by God had entered my mind more than once and to have those concerns put to rest was life changing.

 

"When did you get your abilities?"

 

"I was eleven, suddenly everything started slowing down around me. Turns out I was just speeding up." Peter smirked and held his hand out to me, I looked down at his bare palm. appearing out of thin air a dandelion appeared. His speed was unfathomable! "For you," I took it from him and twirled it between my fingers.

 

"Incredible," I whispered and he beamed ear to ear.

 

"That almost makes up for you almost hurling on me."

 

"Oh shut up," I grimaced at the memory. My mouth still had the bite of bile in it.

 

"Mine were not so quickly onset, they started as dreams when I was around seven. From what we have figured out I have the ability to influence probability. oh, and some light telekinesis that I have very, very little control over."

 

"What was in those dreams?"

 

"Visions of other realities, things that could happen. I learned if I acted in a certain way that I could influence the future, or at the very least increase the chances of an event happening. That minor manipulation has progressed into what you saw today." I nodded as she explained, utterly fascinated by the complexity of such a gift. The possibilites for what she could do were endless.

 

"What about you? When did you start getting all hot?" Peter winked and I found myself a little red in the face with the subtle flirting.

 

"I was pretty young too, I don't really know the exact point when it started. Sometimes I'd fall asleep in the living room and wake up to a singed carpet beneath me. Mom and Dad never really picked up on it, they've fallen asleep smoking more than once- so the new burns didn't stand out too much." We turned the corner and started down the block their houses was situated on.

 

"But when I was ten I was out in the yard playing with dolls when suddenly the one in hand just started to melt. The  hot plastic dripped through my fingers and down my arm, her dress singed into nothing and  I dropped the heap into the dirt." I bit my lip, that'd been my favorite doll- and brand new. Dad hit me with a belt for wrecking it so soon after he got it for me. I elected to leave the latter half of the story out.

 

"Did it hurt?" Wanda asked, my mind went to the belt.

 

"Um, the heat?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"No, I never feel, like, overheated or anything."

 

"Have you ever tested that?" Peter asked.

 

"No, not really. I just kind of try to ignore it when I can." I shrugged and we entered the house.

 

"We kind of like to think of ourselves as mutant scientists." Wanda beamed.

 

"No think, we ARE." Her brother quickly corrected. She nodded curtly.

 

"How so?"

 

"We test the limits of what we can do."

 

"Peter broke the sound barrier once when we took a family trip to Arizona, out in the middle of the desert. Next day the local crazy people paper was claiming aliens had been doing testing out in the middle of nowhere."

 

"I kept a copy!" Peter disappeared and came back within a second with a newspaper in his hand. The front page read "Local Farmer Spots Alien Activity On Ranch". I flip it open and start skimming some of the article.

 

"Do you think any of these kinds of stories are true?" There's one about a woman who had a love affair with bigfoot before he left her for a woman with more hair, a beard specifically.

 

"When we do we keep them, come on follow me." Wanda beckons me to come into the basement with them. They show me the boiler room where they have two file cabinets covered with a flowing table cloth. Wanda lifts up one edge of the cloth and exposes the front of one of the cabinets. She opens the top drawer and has me come and look.

 

Alphabetically organized are clippings, whole papers, and notes about possible mutant encounters. Some are fairly new, a few months back, while others are several decades old.

 

"I go to the library when I have the time and just read hundreds of old newspapers from across the country. If something catches my eye I get a copy made or write down the main facts."

 

"Doesn't that make the librarians suspicious?" I ask and lift one clipping out carefully.

 

"Best thing is," Peter lifts himself up and sits on top of the second file cabinet and looks down at me. "Head librarian is the grandmother of a mutant. She says he has monkey feet or something and is super strong."

 

"She wants what is best for him and supports our extracurricular education." Wanda tilts her head up at Peter and they share a knowing smile.

 

"That's incredible!" My eyes zip across the headline, something about a flying man spotted near the Golden Gate bridge.

 

"Sometimes she even brings us clipping that she suspects we'd find interesting," Peter leans over me, his shoulder against my back, and pulls out a file marked with a red tab. Inside are only clippings about one specific man, some claim of European decent, and all claiming he had the ability to control metal.

 

"Mom told us about him a few times but won't bring him up anymore, he's the most documented out of them all."

 

"There is a second one that has a lot of supposed sightings, but we don't think it is all the same person. But most of the incidents account a person suddenly morphing into another individual. Our theory is that some mutants can be organized into similar factions, and that a handful all have a morphing ability."

 

"I, uh, I need to sit down," I say and drift back into Peter's main part of the basement. The world feels dizzy again from all the information.

 

"Sorry, I should know better than to overwhelm you like this..." Wanda apologizes and comes out of the back room. I shake my head, it isn't her fault I'm so uneducated about all of this. Peter flashes past her and takes my arm and leads me over to the couch, practically pushing me down onto it.

 

"I'm going to go pick up Mary," He says and flashes over to the staircase where he pauses. "If you're gonna remember anything that you've learned today, Molly, just remember-" I look up and meet his deep, gorgeous brown eyes. "You're not alone. You never have been, and never will." He disappears and takes my breath with him.

 

"Oh, yeah, and when I get back we're gonna break out the propane torch!" He shouts from upstairs.

 

"Oh lord almighty help us," Wanda groans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three years later I finally update, ahah!


	12. Propane and Pain

 

**Chapter 12**

The Maximoffs had a garage in their backyard. When Molly first saw it she figured there'd be a few rakes, a lawnmower, normal lawn based stuff in there. How wrong she was. After Peter got home with Mary and put her at the kitchen table with some fruitsnacks and her homework they rest went out to the shed. Although not exactly spacious it allowed for the three of them to stand without feeling like sardines. There were some notebooks strew about, novels, and candy wrappers on the desk against the far wall. Posters, like the ones in the basement, plastered the walls. Magda had allowed her son to turn the shed into yet another man-cave,  and he was excited to show it off.

 

"Alright! Let's begin the tour. This is my secret hide-out. Mi casa es tú casa!" Peter threw his arm out in a large semi-circle after throwing open the door. There was a dart board on one wall, cut up with hundreds of holes from hours and hours of use, or maybe minutes knowing Peter. He even had a little mini fridge hidden next to the desk under a pile of jackets.

"Gorgeous, love what you've done with the place." Molly looked up at the ceiling, he had even installed a black light. Around it were myriads of glow in the dark stars.

"I know, this place rocks." He started shoving some bean bag chairs and other odds and ends on the floor towards the walls, making a large, unobstructed path. Molly sank down into one of the chairs he threw aside and stared at a rolling stones poster. Mick Jagger was shirtless. Nice touch.

"Ready?" she looked up. Peter had a propane torch in his hand. He grinned.

"For what?"

"Testing!" Wanda looked just as excited. Nearly crazed. Climbing up onto the desk she picked up one of the notebooks and a pencil. "I'm ready to record our findings."

"Those things get pretty hot."

"Yeah, 3,600 degrees if you want exact."

They were both way too excited about this, about putting a torch on her arm. Those suckers got freaking hot. Way hotter than she possibly could get. Over three thousand degrees?! What if the torch burned a hole right through her? Or what if the flames spread and Peter's little hide-out burned down? It was a lot to take in, even worse after the day she'd had. Burning off her arch nemesis' hand and everything...

"I don't think I want to." Peter's smile didn't fade a fraction.

"C'mon! It'll be so cool. I mean, what you did today was pretty cool too, besides the melting flesh and all." He gagged on the memory and pushed it away. That smell wouldn't leave him anytime soon. Molly paled.

"I don't want to." Peter stopped just before saying anything, leaving his mouth wide open. The siblings looked at each other. They'd been living mutant and proud for around a decade already, and had grown up on stories of mutants for much longer. Mutant life was normal to them and it was easy to forget it was brand-spanking new to others. Peter lowered his hand, hiding the torch behind his back, before he zipped off and put it away.

"Sorry," Wanda was the first to break the silence. She spun the yellow pencil between her fingers. "We don't... always know how to act with new friends." Her brother pulled a bean bag up next to Molly and plunked down, the air pushed out between the pellets fast and hard. Molly grimaced. It was like everything was too loud, too fast. For a while no one spoke. It felt hard to breath for them all.

"I think I need to go home now." Molly stood and walked to the door. Peter swore and dropped his head against the wall.

"Molls, god, I'm sorry." He said and followed her out into the back yard. Wanda trailed behind. "We- we are both really excited about you. We'd thought you were pretty neat before, but for you to be like us; Well, think about it from our side." Molly turned slowly and frowned at them, her stomach was doing flips.

"I'm excited too... I just need some time. It's like you just told me Atlantis is real and that we're going there in ten minutes. There's a lot to process."

"Yeah, yeah I'm sorry, we're. We'll go slower. If you need a ride home we can take you. But really, you're more than welcome to stay for dinner. Mary'd love that."

"Maybe some other time." The twins nodded glumly.

"I'll walk you."

"No," She said weakly "some alone time is what I need." Wanda looked between the two. Although the torch hadn't been her idea directly, it was easy to admit that she too had been carried away. Wanda hoped that they hadn't scared off their new found friend before they'd had a chance to become friends.

"Alright, again I'm sorry." Molly just nodded and left out the back gate.

 

Inside Mary demanded answers to why her best friend wasn't staying for dinner. Stomach bug seemed the appropriate lie.  Although not pleased she was settled with that answer and went back to doing whatever it is little kids do; and much to the delight of her siblings: did so quietly.

 

"I think we screwed up," Peter said in front of his Pong machine.

"Yah think?" Wanda clapped back and dropped the book she was reading down onto the carpet next to her.

"How mad do you think she is?"

"I don't know... maybe a seven out of ten. Hope at most a seven."

"Think she'll talk to us at school tomorrow?"

"Probably-" she stared up at the cracks in the ceiling "hopefully."

 

They'd suffered through a quiet, never-ending supper once Magda got home and were hanging in the basement. Wanda tried off and on to read her latest mystery novel while Peter zoomed about the world like a maniac. Molly was leading a very different evening.

 

Dad had his shifts cut again at work, Mom was stoned into oblivion, and Molly had ended up in the middle of it. Usually in the heat of things she could sneak into her bedroom, or even out the door to one of her "friends" places but that didn't work out tonight. When she tried to leave Dad caught her by the hair and pulled her back and down onto the floor, swearing profusely he blamed her for the entire ordeal.

"If you women didn't live your lives whining, complaining, and shoveling down food- I wouldn't have to grovel for hours!" he bellowed and held Molly's face close to his, spittle hitting her hard and wet. She cried hard.

"I'm sorry," She moaned, hanging onto his forearm, trying to will him to her go. The back of her head ached as the follicles gave way under his death grip. Mom wailed in the corner, a gash on her cheek leaking down the side of her face and onto her neck.

 

Wanda threw balled up wads of paper across the room into the trash can. Six misses to four hits.

 

Dad threw Molly across the room. For a drunk he was strong, and used it to his own advantage. She hit the side of the trailer, it rocked for a moment and then settled. Mom had quieted and now whimpered as Dad berated her. Called her a filthy woman, said she never cared for anything, that they lived in a disgusting little hole because of her. Threatened to call the cops on her marijuana and cocaine possession. And, even worse, to not give her money for any more of the stuff.

 

Peter played ping-pong with himself and complained about how bored he was.

 

Dad grew tired with beating and shouting and finally grabbed another beer, sat down at the kitchenette, and glared at the world. Molly couldn't move. She felt blood trickle down her back, onto the top hem of her jeans. There was a cut on her shoulder from where she hit the wall. Mom lay still, knocked out or just too high to do anything, Molly didn't know.

"You're lucky, you know that? Have a roof. Have food. And yet don't show an ounce of appreciation."

"Thank you Daddy," She whimpered.

"Hypocrite."

 

 

"I'm so bored," Wanda complained. "Our life sucks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay abuse!


End file.
